Generation Pastoral has been utilising Milne Feeds’ products in their feeding programs for some 10 plus years, on both their Gingin property, and up at their station in the Pilbara.
For owner Mike Thompson and managers at both properties, feeding Milne Feeds’ products gives them the peace of mind that they are providing safe, correct nutrition of the highest quality to their livestock, allowing their cattle to grow well and perform to their best in any environment.
Up at the station, the Thompson family have been big advocates of Milne Early Weaner pellets, which suit their once-per-year muster program. With thousands of breeders and running a high bull rate, there is a substantial number of cattle to muster into the multiple sets of yards on the close to a million-acre property.
During the yarding and weaning process, cattle are fed either Milne EasyBeef® or Early Weaner pellets, and once calves are weaned they stay in the yards on a ration of pellets and hay. Milne Early Weaner pellets are safe for young calves to consume straight after weaning. With a metabolisable energy content of 13 MJ (ME MJ/kg) and 21% crude protein (CP) the pellet provides the correct nutrients to ensure young weaners continue to grow steadily, whilst allowing their rumen to develop well. Rumen development in young weaners is crucial for achieving desired future growth rates as they mature.
Generation Pastoral also feed Milne EasyBeef® pellets through self-feeders in paddocks. This ration is used for yearling replacement stock, both bulls and heifers, to ensure they maintain optimum growth rates. With an 11 ME MJ/kg and 14.5% CP content, EasyBeef® is fed in conjunction with grazing feed or hay, depending on the season and time of year.
In years when the wet season is dry, and grazing feed is limited, EasyBeef® is fed out to other classes of stock as well. It provides the Generation Pastoral team with a safe, convenient way to ensure their breeders maintain body condition, and subsequently get back in calf, and their young cattle continue to grow out well, mitigating the impact of the drier season.
At the Gingin property it’s a slightly different operation. This is where more of the refined breeding and genetic testing takes place, as Generation Pastoral also runs Munda Reds Droughtmaster Stud. With just shy of a thousand breeders at the Gingin property, that are all stud registered, they calve down close to a thousand stud calves each year. Every calf born there is weighed and DNA tested at birth.
The team there use Vitalize® pellets for weaning stock, with a 12.5 ME MJ/kg and 14.5% CP. This works well and allows them to utilise their own source of fibre. At about 10 months of age, young stock are weaned on to pellets and hay for a 10-day period, to ensure good rumen development. As part of their farm management plan, time is taken, during this stage, to walk the pens with the weaners, ensuring the young cattle receive enough handling and become accustomed to people, as well as working the weaners through the yards.
Vitalize®, in a 4mm pellet size particularly suited to be fed through lick-feeders, is utilised at the Gingin farm for growing out young bulls and heifers. Their specifically designed lick feeders provide full control over animal intake, thus allowing them to manage steady growth rates.
EasyBeef® also factors in to the Gingin property program and is utilised in the feedlot for growing out commercial stock. The staff particularly like the safe, fuss-free nature of EasyBeef® in the feedlot, and the liveweight gains achieved are excellent.
EasyBeef® also offers the flexibility for the team to feed to other classes of stock on a strategic and 'as needed' basis. When there is good grass available, they simply feed fewer pellets and, when grass is limited, they can easily increase the amount fed.
Achieving and maintaining growth rates across their stud bulls and feedlot animals is an essential element of the management program; as is maintaining body condition on their breeders to achieve high conception rates, and subsequent calving rates. The Generation Pastoral team finds both Vitalize® and EasyBeef® are ideal, balanced rations to meet their needs.
Milne Feeds’ products have enabled Generation Pastoral to produce top quality cattle each year by providing the right nutrition for their cattle at the right times. This is evident in the quality line-up of sale bulls that Munda Reds have on offer this year at their much-anticipated sale.
The team at Milne Feeds wishes the Thompson family and Generation Pastoral team all the very best for their inaugural on-farm bull sale coming up on April 7th 2022.
If you would like to find out more about Milne Feeds’ feeding solutions for cattle, please get in touch with Jess Andony on 0435 174 719 or jessica@milne.com.au
