With nearly 65 years of history, feeding Amaferm® has made raising livestock better. We often rely on past accomplishments to promote and use a product like Amaferm. The truth is, even though Amaferm has been successfully used for decades, there are new and exciting reasons to promote and use Amaferm daily.
Tried and True Reasons
From the beginning, livestock producers have noted increased weight gains, milk production and improved feed efficiency. Research was conducted in the 1980s and ‘90s to explain “how and why” livestock operations were experiencing these benefits. Results indicated Amaferm promoted fungal branching, which allows more bacteria to attach to feed particles. Amaferm contained enzymes and other compounds that promoted both bacterial and fungi growth. Additionally, it was determined Amaferm increased the number of bacteria living in the gut, whether they were passed from the rumen to the small intestine or if they resided in the hind gut. The outcome from gut microbial growth was an increase of 34% in VFA production, forage NDF digestibility of 17% and improved total diet digestibility of 9%. Trials indicated dairy cows responded to Amaferm with a 4 to 5% increase in milk production or growing cattle with 9% increase in gain. When compared to the cost of other technologies used for these same improvements in forage digestibility and animal performance, Amaferm was found to have one of very best return on investment.
And A Couple of New Reasons
Over the past five years, BioZyme® has continued its pledge to discover the benefits of including Amaferm in livestock diets. Producers have consistently given BioZyme testimonials highlighting health, diet adaptation and the ability to maintain feed intake. These testimonials from customers and dealers assist BioZyme in directing research protocols that advance the building of its industry-leading research library.
Last year, University of Tennessee-Martin faculty, along with Area Sales Manager Ben Neale, solidified the Amaferm advantage with receiving and starting calf feeding programs. They studied the advantage of using the one-two punch of Amaferm as recommended by the Gain Smart™ Stocker program (Vita Charge Cattle Drench and Vita Charge Stress Tubs MOS). The cattle responded immediately to receiving Amaferm during the first week and the calves exhibited that advantage by gaining nearly 10 pounds more than their counterparts. These results indicate the calves had better appetites and were more aggressive when coming to the bunk. After three weeks on Vita Charge Stress Tubs the calves were turned out to graze grass paddocks for four weeks. Calves were weighed, and the trial was completed after the seventh week at the unit. The results showed calves started with Vita Charge Cattle Drench and Vita Charge Stress Tubs MOS gained 0.60 pounds per day more, which translated into a 30-pound weight advantage by the end of the 49-day trial. This data enforces the importance of proper nutritional management during the first three weeks after calves are shipped or weaned and that Amaferm is an essential part of an economically successful starter program.
Several customers have asked if Amaferm is effective with cattle diets that contain ionophores. In a multi-year ongoing study being implemented at The Ohio State University, researchers are providing positive results when using Amaferm in corn silage-based, feedlot receiving diets containing Rumensin and good bunk management. During the first two weeks of starting calves, average daily gain of Amaferm fed calves was 1.23 pounds per day as compared to controls gaining 0.62 pounds per day. The ability of the Amaferm treatments to result in greater average daily gain indicates there was less metabolic stress, and greater diet digestibility during the first weeks in the feedlot. The importance to cattle feeders is they can achieve greater, more efficient diets containing ionophores by simply adding Amaferm to the diet.
The bottom line is Amaferm continues to provide livestock feeders the opportunity to make the animals perform and grow faster as well as be more efficient and profitable. The old and the new, the tried and the true, Amaferm was discovered on added animal performance and the story continues to unfold of the added benefits of including Amaferm in the future.
