Quotes from Dairymen About Select DTX™, Select BIOCYCLE™ and Select BIOCYCLE PLUS™
Danny Bernard
Orlinda, Tenn.
PBR and PGHA Herd
"Since we have been feeding Select BIOCYCLE PLUS,
I have noticed an increase in the herd's appetite.
I had always heard that you should see seven out of
ten cows chewing their cuds. I'm now seeing ten out
of ten cows chewing cuds and I know that the herd's
digestion is better. The cows look healthier, too,
with slick hair coats instead of rough ones.
BIOCYCLE PLUS has also helped us with heat detection.
Now when cows come in heat, they are red hot and stay
in standing heat longer. We're catching more cows in
heat and getting them bred on the first service.
We've also noticed a big change in the dry cows since
feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS. Once they calve, they don't
have any trouble cleaning. They go right on feed
with no problem and really start to milk."
Judy Borman
Kingdom City, Mo.
"Our herd consists mainly of two-year-olds that are really
milking. We were concerned about the herd's reproductive
health and we wanted to get more cows cycling. So we started
feeding Select BIOCYCLE PLUS in August 1998.
Since then we have had good luck getting cows bred. The
cows show more aggressive signs of heat and that makes
heat detection easier. On the first pregnancy check after
we started feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS we had six out of eight
cows bred. Some of these cows had been problem breeders,
too. We're also getting more cows bred on the first service.
The cows just look a lot better, too. Before BIOCYCLE PLUS,
they were on the thin side because they were milking so heavily.
I've definitely seen an increase in the herd's body condition
even though the cows are still maintaining their high level
of production (24,206M on 53 cows)."
Sam Gilbert
Gilbert Brothers
Morristown, Tenn.
"Gary, Eddie and I, along with our parents James and Edith,
farm row crops, raise tobacco and have a dairy operation in
the Morristown area. We depend on our dairy to provide a
steady income for our families. We must maintain a certain
level of production to meet our cash flow needs. One example
of maintaining and improving production has been to use Select
Sires genetics as a way of improving milk production.
Like most dairymen in the south, we have dealt with toxins
for years. The standard procedure was to feed clay, mostly
bentonite, attempting to overcome the effects of the toxins.
Our Select Sires representative, Al Stickley, told us about
their new product called Select DTX. We started on DTX in
December 1997. We have achieved the highest production our
farm has ever had and maintained a high level of production
even through the high heat summer months. We have averaged
about six to seven pounds more milk since starting DTX.
The dairies in our area raise a set amount of feed each year
to last until the fall harvest of corn silage. By the end of
August 1998, most of our neighbors were already out of feed and
ready to fill their silos. We were going to fill our silo,
but we still had an entire silo full of corn silage that would
last another 60 days for our 100 cow herd. We believe the use
of DTX made the cows more efficient and we used less feed to
produce more milk. We always thought toxins were robbing the
cows of nutrients, but having the extra feed left proves the point.
It is difficult to be precise on how much money the DTX product
has returned to the dairy, but we know what our milk production
was and what a silo of feed is worth. And we know the DTX has
shown us a good return on our investment.
We were so satisfied with what DTX had done for us that we
decided to give Select BIOCYCLE PLUS a try. We wanted to see
if we could benefit from a boost to the herd's immune system.
We started feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS in September 1998, and it is
well worth the extra money. It has helped to lower our SCC and
we have not had any DAs for the last six months. And cows come
into higher production faster after they freshen."
Shaun Houeye
Roseland, La.
"We have been feeding Select BIOCYCLE for over a year and
are very pleased with how it works in our 95 cow Jersey herd.
After our Select Sires representative, Todd Lee, recommended
BIOCYCLE, I talked to several other local dairymen who were
using the product. They all said that it held their cows on
a level plane of production. That's just what BIOCYCLE has
done in our herd.
We started feeding a TMR five years ago with hopes of leveling
out our production, but that didn't happen until we started
feeding BIOCYCLE. The cows now stay around 40 pounds per day
and the fat test has gone from 4.9% to 5.2%.
When we don't feed the product, I notice a decrease in production.
But when we started feeding BIOCYCLE again, production goes
right back up. We don't ever want to run out of BIOCYCLE again."
Mitch Johnson
Rockalli Holsteins
Mt. Vernon, Wash.
"I've been feeding Select BIOCYCLE PLUS to my heavy springers
and fresh cows for three months. I was having trouble keeping
fresh cows on feed after calving. Since I started feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS, fewer cows have had this problem and feed intake
has increased. The cows have a better appetite and are cleaning
up the ration. I was feeding two bales of hay to this group and
added another 1/2 bale just to keep up with them.
Six weeks ago, I started feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS to the entire
herd and they responded almost overnight. The first five days
I fed the product, tank weights went up 100 pounds a day and
stayed there. My SCC dropped on 245 cows (26,060M) from 190,000
to 140,000; the lowest it's been in recent years. For the month
of January, the cows averaged 82 pounds a day, an increase of
2 1/2 pounds per cow. This was the herd's highest production month
of all time. I even had some commodities that had a really bad mold
problem that month. Things could have been worse if I wasn't
feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS."
Bennie Lee
Greensburg, La.
"We've been feeding Select BIOCYCLE since December 1997 and
are very excited about the results. Our daily average per
cow is up 10 pounds compared to the same month last year.
We've seen our RHA jump 500 pounds to 16,950M.
The herd's reproduction is a lot better, too. We have
decreased days open from 160 to 120 and our calving interval
has dropped to 13.6 months. We know we are catching more cows
in heat and getting them bred on the first service.
BIOCYCLE really helped get our cows through the summer heat.
They held their production better, continued to eat and show
heats. That's a big change from what we've seen other summers."
Elwayne Mast
Macon, Miss.
"In November 1998, I noticed that some of my cows had watery
manure and that as a whole, the herd didn't seem to have a very
good appetite. When my SMS evaluator, Todd Gaby, came to mate
the cows that month, he noticed these symptoms and suggested
that I might have a toxin problem. I had noticed the cows going
downhill little by little each day but didn't put it all together
until Todd brought it up and we discussed it. That very afternoon,
I started feeding Select DTX. I fed double the rate for the first
two weeks since the cows were in such bad shape. In fact, one
cow did die that day.
I watched the cows closely and saw that their manure got firmer
every day. Within one week, none of the cows had loose manure.
In two weeks time, the overall appearance of the herd was remarkable.
Plus, production has gone up 14 pounds per cow per day since November.
I am also seeing stronger heats this winter when compared to last
winter. The cows are doing so much riding that I'm seeing blood
on the tail heads and briskets where the hair has been rubbed off.
I did some checking and I think I know where the toxin problem was
coming from. I had switched to a new bin of shelled corn around the
same time the cows started having problems. After feeding DTX for
three weeks, I changed over to BIOCYCLE PLUS. Because I added these
two products to my TMR, I was able to use that bin of shelled corn and
not worry about the toxins affecting the cows."
Jim Parham
Smithville, Miss.
"I was having a lot of breeding problems in my herd. And to top
things off, production and fat test were really low. My Select
Sires representative, Sam Byrd, knew about my problems and gave
me some literature on Select DTX and Select BIOCYCLE PLUS. In
December 1998, I started feeding DTX and two weeks later, I changed
over to BIOCYCLE PLUS. These products have worked wonders in my herd.
Now all my cows are showing signs of heat and I am getting them bred.
On my last herd check, some of my hard breeders were pregnant. I also
had several cows that were in service for 35 days, had not been in heat,
yet it was too early to check them. I know that most of these cows are
bred, too.
Before I started feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS, I would see only two or
three cows chewing their cuds. Now, I see all of the cows chewing
their cuds which means better digestion. This has helped the herd's
milk production climb from 48 pounds to 68 pounds per cow per day.
Fat test has jumped from 2.9% to 3.9%. Plus, the SCC has gone from
850,000 to 300,000.
My dry cows have also benefited from BIOCYCLE PLUS. I start feeding
it to them about 20 days before calving. After they freshen, they go
right on feed, eat well, and really start to milk. They are coming
back in heat after 30 days just like they should."
David Pelly
Pelly Dairy Farm
Smith Grove, Ky.
"I was worried about having low levels of mold in my corn silage
and hay. Some of my cows would have loose manure and then they
would be fine in a couple of days. The same cows would get sick
again two weeks later. Some of the manure would have whole corn
in it, too. I had done enough reading to know that I had a low
level toxicity problem.
When KABA introduced BIOCYCLE PLUS, I decided to give it a try.
The problems I was seeing with the sporadic loose cows stopped
and there wasn't any whole corn in the manure. After feeding the
product for two weeks, I saw the tank weights jump four pounds
per cow per day and my SCC was cut in half, from 300-400,000 to
150-200,000.
Things were going well with the cows and I decided to quit feeding
BIOCYCLE PLUS for a month. Well, the problems I was having came
right back. Needless to say, I went back to feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS.
The product helps the cow digest her feed better and when a cow's
stomach is working like it should, she's going to give more milk
and have better conception."
John Neal Scarlett
Scarlett's Dairy
New Market, Tenn.
"We had been feeding bentonite since the early 1990s
to help us with our toxin problem. But we knew these
products did not cover a broad spectrum of mycotoxins because
we'd have a cow to slip through the cracks and get sick every
now and then. We also had to feed extra minerals since the
clay products bind up selenium and vitamin E.
When Select Sires came out with BIOCYCLE PLUS, they told us
that it had all the advantages of bentonite without any of the
disadvantages, so we decided to give it a try. After feeding
the product for three to four weeks, we saw milk production go
up as much as three pounds per cow per day. Our cows looked
healthier, too. They were slick and didn't have rough hair coats.
We weren't having as many metabolic problems either.
We've been feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS for over a year now and it's
very cost effective. We've had increased production, our conception
rate has improved and we're saving money because we aren't
feeding all those extra minerals. Plus, the product covers a broader
range of mycotoxins than the clay products did."
Jack Stamschror
Kellogg, Minn.
"In the fall of 1997, the overall herd health started to
deteriorate: production dropped to 47 lbs./day on our 200 cow
herd, dry matter intake decreased, reproductive problems increased.
The cows were losing weight, listless, had rough hair coats and
were not showing heats. We had consultants try to pinpoint the
problem but they could not. I had read articles about corn silage
toxins in the southern states but was assured by the 'experts'
that there were no toxins this far north. We tried many things
to correct the problem but it was turning into a devastating situation.
Minnesota/Select Sires Technician Phil Woodward thought Select BIOCYCLE PLUS just might help. Conditions were so bad when Agrarian
specialists Dean Jessup and Chuck Howe came to the farm to assess the
situation that they recommended feeding both DTX and BIOCYCLE PLUS
until the overall herd health improved.
We saw results. A week after feeding it, dry matter intake increased;
later production started to increase; then the cows' body condition
and reproductive health improved dramatically. You really noticed
the stronger heats.
In July, 1998, we switched to feeding straight BIOCYCLE because we
had fed the last of the problem corn silage. We feed it to the
milking cows as well as the pre-fresh group and everything is still
going well. I'm convinced it works or I wouldn't be using it.
This product more than pays for itself through improved conception
and healthier cows. Our conception rates are up 20%. In 1998,
we used 82 less units of semen and my veterinarion bill was $9,000
less than the year before (on the same number of cows). Plus, our
culling rates have dropped from 42% to 31%. We have less problems
after calving. The cows clean, have good appetites, and peak in
milk production faster than before using these products.
The herd is now averaging 67 lbs./cow, 3.9%F and 3.3%P. We will
definitely continue to use the product."
Jim White, Herdsman
Gunter Farms, Inc.
Abingdon, Va.
"Here at Gunter Farms, we have two herds of cows and we were
having trouble catching cows in heat at both places. In September
1998, we started feeding Select BIOCYCLE PLUS in the 210 cow herd.
In the 125 cow herd, we started feeding another similar product we
got from our farm supply co-op. We had been feeding bentonite in
both herds to help fight toxins.
After feeding BIOCYCLE PLUS for two weeks, we started seeing cows
in standing heat and the general herd health improved drastically.
We have seen fewer feet problems, as well as an increase in the
number of confirmed pregnancies in our herd. We're also seeing lots
of cud chewing and I know we're getting better rumen function. The
dry matter intake is more consistent and we're not having the big
swings like before. Our SCC has improved greatly, too. It was running
from 750 to 950,000, and now it's down to the 300 to 350,000 range.
With all the positive results we had with BIOCYCLE PLUS in the one
herd, we didn't have a choice but to feed the product in both herds.
There was no comparison between BIOCYCLE PLUS and the other product.
We definitely like BIOCYCLE PLUS better."
For more information about the potential benefits of including one
or more of these Select microbials in your herd's feeding regiment,
please fill out the program request form.
You will find these products to be cost effective aids to assist you
in improving herd health and reproductive performance.
Technical questions about these products should be directed to:
Agrarian Marketing Corporation
Toll Free: 1.888.254.1482
™Select DTX, Select BIOCYCLE and Select BIOCYCLE PLUS are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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