A new calf cereal formulation that contains no Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) has been developed by Agrifeeds.
With calving just around the corner, Agrifeeds have released a newly-formulated range of calf cereal to help farmers and
calf rearers reach their calf growth and profitability targets.
A fresh, high-quality and cost-effective calf feed mix is vital for rearing healthy calves and Agrifeeds’ new PKE-free
formulations for Grower 16 and Grower 20 have been carefully designed to bring calves into peak condition sooner.
Agrifeeds developed the new formulations after listening to customers who said they wanted a nutritious calf feed that
contained no PKE at an affordable price.
Agrifeeds General Manager, Braden Waite, says they worked closely with farmers and consulted leading ruminant
nutritionist, Dr Bryan McKay, to come up with the best value-for-money calf feed in the New Zealand market. Grower 20 is
currently the only calf feed in New Zealand to feature dairy as its protein source.
“We worked hard to understand what farmers and rearers wanted in their calf feed. We went out on farm, asked lots of
questions and mostly just listened. Farmers told us they wanted fresh, PKE-free calf feed that was delivered on time,
every time and was reasonably priced,” says Braden.
Cambridge calf rearer Hamish Macdonald has been a long-time user of Grower and uses 30 tonnes of Grower 16 and one tonne
of Grower 20 per year.
He likes the idea that there are two sources of starch in Grower and the protein comes from milk.
His 750 calves a year do well on Grower 20 and would definitely consider switching to an affordable PKE-free version.
“There is demand for a PKE-free product, some of it is due to young animals coping with it better, and there are also
different views about not using products that potentially put pressure on the environment.”
Grower 20 is a 20 percent protein calf starter feed blended from quality ingredients and suitable for calves on milk to
stimulate rumen development. Its unique formulation will support early feed intake and can be offered from four days
old.
Once calves have been weaned off milk they can be switched to Grower 16 which is well-suited to weaned calves weighing
70 to 80 kilograms (kg) that have been reared on a quality calf starter.
The inclusion of molasses, sweeteners and flavours improves the taste, increasing energy supply for the growing animal.
Grower 16 also contains safe starch levels so it suitable for ad lib feeding.
The Grower range is available in 20kg bags, one tonne bags and there is a bulk silo option. There is free freight on all
Grower deliveries either into store or on farm nationwide and options on truck bulk loads.
About Grower
Video of Calves Eating Grower
About Agrifeeds
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