IT WAS with the aim to improve on-property operations efficiency including the associated cost-saving benefits that saw Collinsville grazier Bruce Smith decide to call on the expertise of Norm Basford and the team at Pastoral & Feedlot Systems Australasia Pty Ltd (PFSA) who has been specialising in developing water supplementation systems for over 20 years.
When the North Queensland Register spoke to Bruce he’d already installed one of the two Nutridose water medicator systems that he purchased from PFSA for use on his 23,000ac property, Koonandah Station, where he runs a mob of 1600 Brahman cattle.
“I’d had a look at the system a few years ago and after doing a bit of research and consulting with several other graziers around the North who said Nutridose had worked wonders on their properties I decided it would be a worthwhile investment,” Bruce said.
The Nutridose system is the safest water supplementation system available on the market, and water supplementation is the most cost effective method of delivering Urea and Phosphorus supplements to cattle and sheep and results in considerable savings in labour.
Bruce said the first step was having Shane Sommers from PFSA come out to Koonandah to analyse the water on-property so the medication could be tailored to suit its pH and dissolved minerals so as to avoid problems with slime or precipitation.
After receiving the water analysis, Tony Wood the company veterinarian and nutritionist, designed a formula that would stabilise the urea and provide the additional phosphorus and minerals required to maximise production.
“After the mix was sorted out, I installed the first system in June and I’ll be installing the second system this week,” he said.
“I also purchased a monitor observant for each system so that I can adjust nutrient levels based on need remotely.
“The meter on each unit keeps track of the quantities being drunk, which will make it easy to have the Nutridose units add the amount of concentrate to reach the desired daily intake.”
Bruce said he’d primarily decided to purchase the system for the dry months to ensure the health and performance of the cattle are being maintained when water is harder to come by.
He said the system will provide a big-time saving for the operation as it will eliminate the need to have a staff member go an individually check levels.
The currently installed Nutridose system is gravity fed with a submersible solar pump beside it which feeds through the dosage system downhill to the troughs.
The system has already proven effective for Bruce as he said his water usage per head is down to 20-30L per day. He said he’ll be strategically placing the second unit so that cattle don’t have to travel much more than 600m to a 1km to reach the medicated water.
He said the other big benefit aside from regular supplementation for the herd is that the cost of medication has been reduced to 4c per head per day.
“The support from Shane, Norm and the rest of the team at PFSA has been great, especially in regards to backup support. It’s a pretty foolproof system to install and use and I recommend Nutridose to any graziers who are looking to improve the performance of their cattle.
For inquiries phone Pastoral & Feedlot Systems Australasia Pty Ltd (PFSA) on (07) 3848 5290 and for general information regarding PFSAs products and services email nutridose@gmail.com or info@nutridose.com.au
