Rumen function and milk yield balance

“In February this year, we were milking 450 cows, but were looking at expanding our herd to our current 600 cows We still push our cows to try and get the maximum out of them and average out at 9,700 litres a cow. 

“Ernie Rolston, from Glenbrook Agri, had approached us at an opportune time in February to try out a new technology called “Panatec Rumen Proof” where he was getting good results on farm.  What really made us trial out the product was his explanation that for rumen function, it works in a different way to pH enhancers and yeasts. It has the back up of proper scientific research and development from the National University of Ireland and Westway Health and has got significant grants in the millions of Euros to develop this technology. 

“Ernie had described it as a three pronged approach: Antioxidants; Rumen Stabilisers and Disrupting Lactic Acid Producing Bacteria.

“The most important factor for winning me over, was the final bit. By targeting the Lactic Acid Producing Bacteria, I was going to go to the core problems of rumen function.”

Harry Wilson adds: “Since using the Rumen Proof the most noticeable things for me were that stomachs are a lot better. It is rare to have to pump a cow now, for an upset stomach. White Line Disease and Laminitis is not a major problem on our farm anymore. Rumen Fill is a lot better. Even within the first month we saw a jump in yield of 1 litre a cow and have seen that yield stay steadily up. Cows are still milking well, but we milk three times a day, and have expanded by 150 cows, this past nine months. I ‘d like to credit Rumen Proof with all the milk yield increase, though I am still wary of giving all of the credit to getting the stomach in a better condition. 

”There’s been a significant improvement in the quality and strength of the slurry. We were told that in preliminary trials by Mayo Healthcare, there has been a two fold increase in available ammonium nitrogen. Large scale field trials are due early 2020 to validate this claim.”