Knewe®-Mg prebiotic.
Knowledge of nutrition for economy, welfare and environment
A Knewe® approach to animal nutrition, driving triple bottom line results.
A new feed supplement product from sustainable biofuel production that provides environmental benefit, enhances animal welfare, and boosts animal productivity.
Knewe®-Mg has a prebiotic effect in the rumen of cows, sheep, deer and other grazing animals, helping the rumen flora process forage more effectively so that a good deal more protein can be recovered for use by those flora.
Therefore, crude protein intake can be reduced while still maintaining microbial protein production. This leads to a significant reduction in urea excretion, and also leads to a substantial decrease in the amount of nitrogen passed to the hindgut and excreted in faeces (and reduction in faecal odour).
Knewe®-Mg also has significant welfare benefits through providing efficient magnesium and calcium nutrition and supporting immune function.
Knewe-Mg® for dairying
The economic benefits of Knewe®-Mg for dairying
~20% better feed utilisation leads to significant productivity gains (a gain of 1.3 MJ/kg of Metabolisable Energy). This may manifest in various ways, including:
- Increase in milk solids.
- Improved liveweight gain.
- Improved feed protein utilisation.
- Reduced replacement costs from fewer carryover cows, and fewer animals lost to milk fever, mastitis, calving issues.
- Reduced health maintenance costs.
The economic benefits of Knewe®-Mg are considerable, but will vary from farm to farm. Knewe® has a proprietary calculator tool to help estimate benefits using farm-specific inputs.
The welfare benefits of Knewe®-Mg for dairying
- Efficient mineral nutrition:
- Improved animal disposition: less aggression and fewer injuries
- Fewer milk fever cases, and easier calving
- Better condition recovery after calving
- More rapid commencement of lactation
- Earlier resumption of oestrus and conditioning of the endometrium for implantation.
The environmental benefits of Knewe-Mg® for dairying
- Lessened impact on the environment, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Nitrogen loss to the environment down 30%
- Reduced methane output
- Reduced animal waste per kg of milk solids produced
- Assists with Farm Environment Plan compliance.
Knewe®-Mg usage
Knewe®-Mg is easily intergrated into an existing feeding programme.
Knewe®-Mg is fed in pelleted form. Knewe®-Mg can be integrated with, and will enhance, any other nutrition formulation. Knewe®-Mg will comprise ~2% of of a dairy cow’s diet.
Knewe®-Mg’s ability to enhance protein utilisation means the amount of protein in the formulation can and should be reduced. In a conventional dairy diet, Knewe®-Mg enables the recovery of at least 50g more nitrogen per day, meaning it is possible to reduce daily crude protein intake by at least 300g. A proportion of the forage in the diet can be replaced by low-nitrogen supplements such as cereal straw and molasses.
Monitoring metabolism of excess protein for energy through milk urea concentration (either on an animal-by-animal basis, or at bulk milk level) can confirm the potential crude protein reduction.
Some of the benefits of Knewe®-Mg may not become apparent until the product has been used for ~8 weeks or more.
Knewe®-Mg for beef farming
Economic benefits
- Better feed utilization: productivity gains. Outcomes may include:
- Up to 30% faster weight gain
- Reduced finishing time by up to 25%
- Increased meat yield by up to 5%
- Improved meat quality (1 to 2 Wagyu score points).
Welfare benefits
- Better maintenance of body condition throughout growth and development
- Less aggression, fewer injuries
- Improved immune performance (from yeast components).
Environmental benefits
- Improved dietary protein utilisation reduces nitrogen excretion;
- Improved dietary fibre utilisation reduces methane emissions;
- Reduced faecal volume and odour.
Knewe®-Mg for sheep farming (wool, meat, milk)
Economic benefits
- Better feed utilization
Welfare benefits
- Enhanced body condition after weaning, prior to mating – enhances twinning.
- Reduced risk of milk fever and reduced risk of metritis.
Environmental benefits
- Improved dietary protein utilisation reduces nitrogen excretion;
- Improved dietary fibre utilisation reduces methane emissions;
- Reduced faecal volume and odour.
Knewe®-Mg for deer farming (venison, velvet, milk)
Economic benefits
- Better feed utilisation
- Maximal calcium acquisition leads to better antler-production potential
- Best possible velvet growth.
Welfare benefits
- Reduced risk of milk fever
- Earlier oestrus in dams
- Fawns fed by dams receiving Knewe®-Mg grow significantly faster
- Health status optimised by best immune support from yeast components, optimal metabolic energy status;
- Reduced aggression improves handling, risk of injury.
Environmental benefits
- Reduced nitrogen loss to the environment
- Reduced methane output
How is Knewe®-Mg produced:
Knewe®-Mg is manufactured under licence by Lantmännen Agroetanol AB, the Swedish Farmers’ Cooperative, for Knewe Biosystems NZ Ltd.
Knewe®-Mg is made from fermentation products by a patented process, in which the acidic components are reacted with nutritionally-important minerals. This process makes the fermentation products shelf- stable, and the minerals much more bioavailable.
