More than just animal supplements: Practical nutrition support that works on farms across Northern Ireland

Niall McGuinness farms in partnership with his father Kieran near Bessbrook, Co. Armagh. The family run 300 Holstein Cows in an indoor system with cows milked 3 times per day. Current herd performance is 11,000 litres at 4.4% Butterfat and 3.4% Protein on a rolling basis. Aberdeen Angus and Belgian Blue calves are finished as young bulls and slaughtered at under 16 months of age.

Cows are fed a TMR consisting of predominantly grass silage, chopped straw, brewer’s grains and a 4 way concentrate mix, and fed to yield in the parlour.

“I’m seeing bigger killing weights in the beef and more milk solids from the dairy cows,’ Bessbrook farmer Niall McGuinness says.

He has been working with Ben Bingham, from Mazzoleni Ireland, for around 18 months.

For many dairy and beef farmers, nutrition advice can often feel theoretical. What Mazzoleni offers is very different — regular, practical, on-farm support that’s tailored around how each individual farm actually operates.

Through the Mazzoleni nutritional support service, Ben works closely with farmers like Niall, backed by the wider team, providing routine visits, detailed ration planning and fast help when problems arise. The focus isn’t on providing a one-size-fits-all solution, but on working with what’s already on the farm to improve feed efficiency, support rumen health and drive performance.

“He calls at least once a month,” says Niall. “And he always walks around the herd and has a look and can give advice on what might be needed nutritionally.”

Niall says Ben knows his stuff, when it comes to ruminants and takes time to understand the farm, how it works, and its needs and goals. Niall has worked the family farm with his father all his life. With 300 milking cows and finishing 150 beef cattle a year, it’s a busy farm.

“When you see the cows every day, you don’t always notice the changes,” says Niall. “Ben is very hands on, it’s like having a fresh pair of eyes and he spots things we might have missed.”

An example was in cows chewing the cud. When Niall first showed Ben around he noticed only about a quarter of the dairy cows were ruminating in their stalls. Since working with Ben, and introducing BioCell® live yeast, that number is now around 80%. BioCell® live yeast has a positive impact on rumen microflora, improving fibre degradation and protein metabolism in addition to its’ oxygen scavenging ability; which helps to stabilise rumen Ph and allow the rumen to operate more efficiently.

On high-output indoor systems in particular, this ongoing technical backup makes a real difference. Attention to detail around on-farm ingredients, forage quality and ration balance helps maximise milk yield and solids in the dairy herd, while also improving thrive and finishing performance in beef cattle.

It’s practical advice, tailored to the system, that delivers measurable results where it matters — in the bulk tank and at the factory.

BioCell® improving dairy and beef performance

One of the key tools on Niall’s farm is BioCell®, Mazzoleni’s live yeast launched in 2024, which he feeds to both dairy and beef cattle.

He says he has seen clear improvements across the herd. Cattle are thriving, digestion appears better and dung consistency has improved significantly. One reason for the increase is improved rumination, and as a result, milk yield and milk solids have improved, and beef animals are producing heavier carcass weights at slaughter.

Niall says since using BioCell® live yeast, he has seen milk fat go up from 4% to 4.4%, and an improvement in protein from 3.25% to 3.4%.

“On the beef end, I am seeing heavier carcass weights,” he says. “We used to struggle to get more than 300kg killing weight, but now we are seeing more than 360kg, and the only real change has been in using BioCell® yeast.”

Trial work backs this up. Results validated by independent research groups following EFSA protocols show cows fed BioCell® produced 2.3kg more milk per day. Similarly encouraging results have been seen in youngstock and other livestock species.

For farmers, the benefit is straightforward: improved rumen function, increased feed utilisation, and better performance from the same inputs. All helping farmers to increase profitability on farm.

Niall says he’d encourage anyone to include BioCell® in their cattle feed. And to work with Mazzoleni.

“Ben, in particular, has been fantastic and easy to deal with,” he says. “He’s not pushy, he is easy to talk to – he’s the kind of person you know you can lift the phone to any time and ask him any question.”

Find out more

Mazzoleni Ireland, based in Tipperary, is the UK & Irish branch of the Mazzoleni Group, dedicated to farmers in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Established in 2023, the company provides the animal nutrition industry with science-based solutions designed to enhance animal performance for ruminants, pigs and poultry. Their focus extends to general farm efficiency and welfare through customised, advanced and sustainable solutions.

For farmers interested in improving dairy, beef or youngstock performance, ask your feed mill for BioCell® live yeast to be included in your rations. For more in-depth support, you can also talk to Mazzoleni Ireland about the challenges on your farm and how practical nutrition advice can help improve herd performance.

Visit the website to discover more about Mazzoleni and find out what they could do for your farm, or contact Ben Bingham directly on 07385 184940.