New Zealand's pastoral sector has been built on feeding stock with high quality pasture, supplemented at appropriate times of the year with additional feed stuffs to ensure optimal animal health and performance.
There are several dimensions to pasture analysis that farmers need to consider – energy, protein, fibre, dry matter and mineral content. And some of these dimensions are more important at particular times of the year than others. For a more complete listing of our pasture testing options and the associated test details, simply download our easy-to-read technical note specifically designed for pasture testing.
The nitrate component of pasture or feeds is absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream of ruminant animals. When the level of dietary nitrate is high, some of the absorbed nitrate is converted to nitrite, which reduces the ability of the blood (haemoglobin) to carry oxygen. “Poisoning” is actually a form of suffocation (anoxia). To ensure that the risk of nitrate poisoning is appropriately managed we recommend using our Nitrate Feed Testing services. Details of this service can be found in our easy-to-read technical note.
