The newly released Beef + Lamb New Zealand resource The Nutrition Process helps sheep and beef farmers ensure their stock getting the nutrition they need to optimise productivity, irrespective of their farming system.
“The Nutrition Process: Optimising productivity within New Zealand sheep and beef farming systems” takes a step-by-step approach to nutrition, and after working through each of the seven steps, farmers will have a deeper level of understanding of nutrient supply and demand on their farm.
This will allow them to make more informed management and feeding decisions.
Step one of the Nutrition Process is the assessment of feed quantity, step two is a measure of feed quality, step three is a calculation of the nutrient supply, while step four is an assessment of the nutrient requirements of stock.
Step five will help farmers determine the limiting nutrients in their system while step six is an assessment of stock – whether the nutrient intake calculations are matching the productivity and the behaviour of the stock.
The final step is filling the gap- making sure stock get the right nutrient at the right time to fill the right gap.
North Canterbury hill country sheep and beef farmer, James Hoban, says farming is all about matching feed supply with livestock demand, which can be challenging, particularly in a dryland environment.
“The more information we have, the more informed our decision-making will be as we strive to optimise livestock performance.”
Download the booklet
- The Nutrient Process (PDF, 2.2MB)