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The labor supply for agriculture has been changing in recent years. Some experts attribute this to stricter U.S. immigration policies and an improved economy in countries where much of the foreign-born agricultural labor originates.
Farming outside Augher, Co. Tyrone, Richard Watt (pictured here) works alongside his father Colm and farms a herd of 120 Holstein cows. They operate a year-round calving system and the herd are milked through two milking robots.
The Watts had been feeding their herd with a 14 m3 vertical auger machine for several years. After a consultation with the KEENAN area business manager for Northern Ireland, Gareth Mc Allister, the Watts decided to change to a KEENAN MechFiber345 with InTouch feed management technology. From speaking with Gareth, they identified three key areas of the business they wanted to improve, and where the KEENAN system would make a difference:
Five months after purchasing their feeder, InTouch feed specialist for Northern Ireland, Aislinn Campbell spoke with the Watts. They reported significant improvements since using the KEENAN system:
What the farmer has to say!
"We have been very pleased with the results achieved since we purchased the machine. The quality and consistency of the mix, coupled with the ration control the InTouch system has given us, have been invaluable. We have seen a lift in milk production of three litres/cow/day since we started using the KEENAN machine, on the same rations. We put this down to the quality and consistency of the mix, due to the gentle mixing and tumbling action of the KEENAN machine."
- Richard Watt, Augher, Co. Tyrone
While the protocol necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19 are relatively basic — handwashing, limiting social contact — they may not be commonplace among animal production laborers, according to Jorge Delgado, a dairy specialist with the Alltech On Farm Program.
At Alltech, a primary focus in RWA feed development is achieving an ideal stomach pH in pigs after weaning. This starts digestive enzyme secretion as soon as possible, leaving less undigested nutrient for pathogens, explains Aimé Roy, Alltech technical swine liaison in Canada.
We manufacture our KEENAN diet feeders from start to finish in-house and our focus is on completing machines that are imminently expected by customers, as well as ensuring we have adequate components and spare parts should breakdowns arise on-farm.
Most service issues can be resolved over the phone. If they can’t, we can send out a service engineer to work on your machine – getting you back up and running as quickly as possible.
Please contact our In-Touch support centre for any nutritional support that you need or questions about your KEENAN controller. We are accustomed to dealing with queries remotely and our friendly team can guide you step by step through any instructions.
What can I do to help protect myself and my coworkers at my dairy? Alltech's Dairy On-Farm Support website provides fact sheets in both English and Spanish.
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, it’s likely your employees have questions about the virus. Fortunately, Jorge Delgado Alltech’s dairy employee training expert, put together a fact sheet that can help all employees understand the virus and what they can do to help prevent it on the farm.
David Collier and his team run a busy beef finishing and tillage farm in Kilbride, Co. Carlow. He finishes over 600 beef cattle every year and the vast majority of his feed is grown on his own farm.
“Pulp nuts and hipro soya are the only feedstuff I buy in,” says David. “Otherwise, we incorporate home-grown barley, wheat, oat, beans, maize, straw and silage into our ration. Every day, 6.2 tonne of beet is chopped and mixed into the total mixed ration (TMR). This way, we don’t need a separate beet chopper.”
David was a long-time owner of a 14 m³ KEENAN Klassik. But, after 12 years of service, he traded it in against a bigger, 17 m³ KEENAN Approved MechFiber350 used paddle mixer.
“The KEENAN reliability is something I don’t want to miss,” explains David. “We use the machine 365 days a year, this is why I went for a KEENAN machine.”
The MechFiber350, with a high feed-out, has everything that David was looking for — a Hardox-hardened steel liner to prolong the life of the mixing chamber and a bale handler to incorporate bales into his ration.
“Straw and silage bales are quickly dissolved in the bale handler and incorporated into the TMR,” David remarks. “The mix quality with the new machine turns out to be better because of the bigger capacity.”
As an additional feature, David added reflective strips onto the machine and supporting beams in his shed. A light connected to the machine illuminates the reflective materials and makes manoeuvring the machine in tight feed passages easier.
David’s experience attests to the longevity and quality of KEENAN diet feeders. He was able to find the perfect machine for his farm requirements with a KEENAN Approved used machine.
By Dr. Kayla Price, Alltech Canada technical manager
Over the years, improving genetics have allowed poultry to become more efficient at growth and development in the egg and on the farm. Additionally, producers are becoming more efficient at managing production of the breeders and the offspring.
