Latest FeedChat episode discusses trace minerals

Zana van Dijk, deputy editor of Dairy Global, talks with Kevin Perryman who is the global trace mineral business manager of Micronutrients, a Trouw Nutrition company.

Perryman discusses the dairy diet and essential feed additives – trace minerals and the importance of zinc, copper, manganese in the cow diet and its role in physiological processes like immune competency, reproduction etc.. He also highlights the source of trace minerals and its role in health, productivity and longevity of the cow.

4 factors are highlighted when selecting source of supplementation:

• Essential nutrient stability

• Impact on the rumen function

• Absorption in the animal

• Environment

Perryman also takes us through studies that were carried out, in the podcast he mentions that, “In 10 out of 12 studies we showed a negative effect of the trace minerals specifically zinc and copper coming from sulphate on fibre digestibility,” he further adds that data shows that with feeding a diet that contains zinc and copper sulphate at normal nutritional levels, 3 points of NDfd is lost.

Listen to this highly interesting podcast that touches on a range of important topics related to the dairy ration, including hydroxy trace minerals, costs to the farmer, impact on milk production as well as the efficiency of trace minerals.

Other episodes

• Pig Progress editor, Vincent ter Beek, in the first episode of FeedChat, explores the timely topic of mycotoxins together with Trouw Nutrition’s Pedro Miguel Caramona.

• Poultry World, editor in chief, Fabian Brockötter, spoke to Nienke de Groot, global programme manager gut health at Trouw Nutrition in the second episode of Feedchat, which looks at the Threat of antimicrobial resistance.

Keep an eye out for the Next episodes of the FeedChat series that will follow in the coming weeks and months.