Agvance Nutrition

26/02/2026

Noticed a sudden dip in production or mobs not finishing breaks?

Facial eczema is an invisible milk thief, so don’t wait til you see lesions to act. Facial eczema spores can silently damage the liver long before clinical signs. NZ data links raised liver GGT to ~0.06 kgMS/cow/day loss - that’s about $240/day on a 450‑cow farm at $9/kgMS.

How to manage:
✔️We recommend starting a zinc ramp so liver protection is built before the spore hit. If this didn't happen pre-season, talk to us about what you can do now.
✔️Remove free (non‑chelated/rumen‑released) copper from the diet through summer — it catalyses spore toxification.
✔️Check herd GGT and zinc with your vet; test early, not after the rash appears.
✔️Support the liver where needed (selenium, B‑vitamins, betaine/seaweed options) as part of a vet‑led plan.

You can’t manage what you can’t see, so act on the warning signs, test, and protect liver function before the invisible losses pile up. Talk to your vet or Agvance consultant for a farm‑specific plan.

23/02/2026

🐮⏱️ Autumn calving is coming up. If scours start, calves drop behind fast, so have the right product on hand.

If you want simple:
Calf Protect is bentonite plus a dual-strain probiotic. Bentonite helps bind toxins and firm manure. The probiotic supports gut balance. Use it at the first sign of loose manure, or when milk, meal or routine changes upset calves.

If you want more support:
Calf Protect+ builds on that base with added gut support (prebiotic, probiotic and yeast) plus trace minerals and vitamins for wider support during tougher periods.

Quick pick:
◾ Choose Calf Protect for straight scours and feed upsets.
◾ Choose Calf Protect+ when calves are under more pressure, and you want broader support.

Talk to your local Agvance consultant about which one fits your calf plan.

21/02/2026

The milk vat doesn’t lie! Heat stress costs cow performance 🚩

Volume drops can indicate heat stress, but milk composition gives a clearer picture. With lower yield, you’d usually see fat % and protein % rise. If fat % falls instead, that’s a strong clue the rumen is stressed. Protein % can fall in severe cases, or look unchanged when it should have risen, which is also bad news if total solids are down.

Why it happens:
📉Fat falls because rumen microbes are stressed: less acetate, more propionate, poorer fibre digestion.
📉Protein falls because the liver and energy metabolism are under strain.
📈Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) spikes because energy‑starved rumen bugs waste more nitrogen; unused ammonia becomes urea in milk.
If milk solids are down and fat % is down (or protein % is not up) while MUN climbs, don’t rush to blame pasture quality. Heat load, or heat‑stressed pasture toxins, could be the driver.

✔️Check herd behaviour, vat trends and on‑farm heat mitigation
✔️Talk to your local Agvance consultant about CoolAid, Ascocool Seaweed and Novasil Plus - Toxin Binder and how you can use these products in your management plan.

19/02/2026

Did you know free (unbound) copper in the diet makes facial eczema worse?

When cows eat spores, free copper or iron helps toxify the spore, creating reactive oxygen species that damage the liver, cutting appetite, production, immunity and fertility long before you see skin lesions.
Sources of free copper
❗Non‑chelated supplements.
❗Low‑quality chelates that release copper in the rumen.
❗High‑copper feeds (eg PKE) or pastures where copper fertiliser has been used.

What to do:
✔️We recommend that, from December onwards, you remove all free‑copper sources where practical. If you didn't do this, talk to us about what you can do now.
✔️If you must supplement, use a proven, high‑quality chelate that stays bound through the rumen (look for ≥90–93% rumen protected). Chelate quality matters as low-quality products release more free copper.
✔️Watch feed inputs (PKE, mineral mixes) and check supplier specs - if they can’t prove rumen protection, don’t risk it.

If you’re feeding non‑chelated copper or high‑copper feeds during FE season, you could be making liver damage and production losses worse. Talk to your Agvance consultant or vet for farm‑specific advice and product checks.

18/02/2026

Have you heard the latest myCOW podcast? Shaun sits down with Gordonton farmer Matt McDonald to discuss how setbacks led to smarter farming.

We recommend listening and subscribing so you never miss an episode!

16/02/2026

💰What's ruining your production this summer?

Facial eczema costs NZ farmers a whopping ~$270m a year - and that number only covers lost milk. Hidden liver damage cuts reproduction and resilience long before you see sad cows.

Key things to watch and do:
✔️Don’t wait for clinical FE signs. Blood GGT >40 µmol/L is linked to milk‑solids loss (about 0.06 kgMS/cow/day) - test before you see clinical FE.
✔️Don’t rely only on regional spore counts alone. Start on‑farm spore monitoring once regional counts hit ~10,000 spores/m3 - paddocks vary.
✔️Watch your wearables - drops in rumination or eating are early stress flags.
✔️Check zinc status and GGT with your vet - ensure zinc protection is adequate and GGT stays below 40 µmol/L.
✔️Act early: rotate stock off high‑risk paddocks, increase zinc protection, and target blood testing to at‑risk mobs

🧪Catch FE by the lab, not by the rash.

13/02/2026

Cow sensors = your 24/7 heat‑stress alarm
If you’re running collars, ear tags or rumen boluses, you’ve got real‑time heat data. The trick is reading it right.

Key metrics that flag heat stress:
🐄Heavy Breathing Minutes (collars): the clearest direct measure. Rule of thumb - herd >60 heavy‑breathing minutes for 48+ hours is where performance starts to fall.
🐄Short spikes (12–24h) are less likely to cause lasting damage.
🐄Rumen temperature (boluses): sustained elevation confirms heat load.
🐄Grazing minutes: often the earliest warning - appetite can fall up to ~30% before rumination drops.
🐄Rumination minutes: useful but can lag; a fall here confirms sustained stress.
🐄Activity/Resting or Moving metrics: more standing and less resting supports a heat‑stress signal.

How to use the data:
◾ Don’t wait for rumination to drop. If grazing minutes fall while temps rise, act.
◾ Look for combinations: heavy breathing + lower eating + more standing = real risk.
◾ Track duration: repeated hits over 48 hours matter more than single short spikes.

Quick on‑farm responses:
✔️Move mobs to shade or cooler paddocks, ensure free access to fresh water.
✔️Reduce sudden high‑energy feed pushes during heat events.
✔️Split feedings to cooler parts of the day and avoid late‑afternoon feed surges.
✔️Monitor vat and cow condition after an event; follow up with your vet if production, fertility or health flags appear.
Sensor data is only useful when you interpret it. Use these thresholds and patterns to get ahead of heat stress. The earlier you act, the better the outcome.

Agvance has solutions to help. Talk to your local consultant about CoolAid, Ascocool Seaweed and Novasil Plus - Toxin Binder.

12/02/2026

We're having a great time down at Southern Field Days, catching up with old and new clients.

Need a solid mineral programme for your cows, or just have a few questions? Stop by site A97 and have a chat to Pam, Anna or Jason!

10/02/2026

🚩 Cows just standing there? Don’t shrug it off - they’re telling you they’re too hot.

Spend a few minutes each day watching herd behaviour; it tells you how cows are coping with the heat. Panting and drooling are obvious, but standing idle, not grazing or ruminating, is a major red flag. Cows will stand to lose heat, so if mobs are just standing, act.

Check the pasture - heat‑stressed plants can produce toxins like ergovaline that cause vasoconstriction, stopping cows getting blood to their skin so they can’t cool down. If cows are panting at 20°C, it might be the grass, not the sun.

Agvance has solutions to help support your cows through these hotter days, talk to your local Agvance consultant about how you can incorporate CoolAid, Ascocool Seaweed and Novasil Plus Toxin Binder into your management plan.

29/01/2026

Loose manure, dip in production, cows not holding condition? That’s often a rumen that’s not coping with the feed.

Try Bioyeastar 4C, a yeast culture that provides yeast metabolites to help digestion, so cows get more from the feed they’re already eating.

What you can expect 👀
• More consistent rumen function
• Better feed use through improved digestibility
• Useful when cows are under pressure from heat, stressed grasses and diet change

Best time to use it ⏰
• When cows shift onto new feeds or new breaks
• When you’re seeing loose manure or inconsistent rumen performance
• During heat stress and other high-stress periods like calving and early lactation

Talk to your local Agvance Consultant to see how Bioyeastar 4C can fit into your system now.

27/01/2026

🎧 Have you listened to all 12 episodes of the myCOW podcast? Now's the time to catch up!

Here’s what you’ll get across the series:

Farm tech you can actually use!

⚫ Ep 12: SmaXtec with Jeff Hill and Sara Russell
⚫ Ep 10: Halter virtual fencing with Nick Hand
⚫ Ep 7: Farm tech and wearables, the future of cow monitoring
⚫ Ep 4: Farm tech and wearables, what’s worth it with Ben Matthews

Cow nutrition and the stuff that drags production down ⬇

⚫ Ep 11: Using data to drive cow appetite
⚫ Ep 6: The science of ketosis in dairy cows
⚫ Ep 2: Transition cow management
⚫ Ep 5: Cow condition, what it is and how to manage it

Pasture, soil and profit 🌿

⚫ Ep 9: Measuring and managing soil health with Conan Moynihan
⚫ Ep 3: Stocking rate vs farm profit with Ben Croft
⚫ Ep 8: Building a strong farm business with Chris Deroles

Start with the topic that’s giving you the biggest headache this week, then work through the rest. Listen on Spotify, iHeart or Apple podcasts, or simply follow the link: https://mycow.nz/podcast/

Science-based, farmer-friendly dairy cow nutrition podcast. Hosted by Shaun Balemi. Listen on Spotify, Apple and iHeart. Get more milk from every feed.