BioFresh Bolus
By: Rob Hamaker, Vice President Sales & Marketing
Several common metabolic events stem from one common factor, cow’s appetite. Whether it’s erratic intakes or off-feed, these can lead to metabolic disorders such as displaced abomasum (DA), ketosis and/or indigestion. All of these metabolic disorders can be very costly. While these health events can happen at any time during the lactation, fresh cows seem to be the group most commonly affected. It has been estimated that each DA costs the dairyman $312 and each case of ketosis costs $151. In today’s economy, these are not welcome added costs. Keeping cows healthy always helps pay the bills.
Over the past 10 plus years, Agrarian Solutions has been offering BioFresh Boluses to the dairy industry as a fresh cow product solution. We suggest giving 1 bolus per day for three consecutive days, if possible. We also know from experience that giving two boluses after freshening also works because many dairymen would rather just touch them once and that one-time dose schedule is frequently used.
BioFresh Boluses consists of several ingredients, each having a specific purpose to meet the fresh cow’s needs. These eight key ingredients are:
1. Yeast source (B-vitamins to feed rumen bugs)
2. Five specific enzymes (aid in feed digestion)
3. Specialized proteins (egg-derived antibodies to counteract effects of gram negative and viral challenges)
4. Potassium iodide (slow release form of iodine helps to increase metabolism)
5. Microbial sugars (food source for good microbes)
6. L-form Lactobacillus concentrates (this is the cornerstone of Agrarian products; they are natural gut microbes)
7. Mineral proteinates (Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Cobalt)
Other Mineral sources (Iron, Magnesium, Selenium)
8. B-vitamins including niacin, B-12, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Choline, and Folic acids (these B-vitamins are a food source for the rumen microbes)
Many of these same ingredients are found in both our BioCycle and BioCycle Plus products. The concentration of these ingredients in BioFresh Boluses is 8 times higher.
BioFresh Boluses are formulated to stimulate appetite and improve immune response thus keeping cows on feed.
An example of immune response is evident in the early research that was conducted at Southern Illinois University. In a double-blind study, cows were either given BioFresh Bolus or a placebo. The results are as follows:
Administering one BioFresh Bolus per day for three consecutive days to cows with an initial linear somatic cell score (LSCS) of >5 caused LSCS to decrease 1 LSCS unit (200,000 cells). Results show statistical significance with a probability of P=0.0001
BioFresh Boluses do not contain any ingredient that would require a milk or meat withdrawal period. BioFresh does meet the criteria as a non-GMO supplement.
There are several groups of animals on the dairy that could benefit from using BioFresh Boluses.
1. All fresh cows
2. Cows that have digestive upsets or off-feed
3. High SCC cows (>400,000)
4. Dairy with an activity system equipped with the rumination feature. This would allow you to catch cows before their symptoms became clinical.
BioFresh Bolus is available in both 50-count jars and 400-count pails. During July and August, we have a Buy 5 get 1 Free special. Give it a try; you will be impressed with the results!
If you have questions, please let us know. We always look forward to hearing from you.
