Premium Transition for Maize South Island

Agvance’s Premium Transition for Maize SI is specifically designed for South Island springers to support rumen function and provide the essential trace minerals required during transition. Scientifically-proven benefits:

Superior animal health
Designed for the transition period
Provides mineral salts in negative DCAD form
Increases immunity

Talk to your local Agvance Consultant A solid transition plan is crucial to start your cows off on the right foot and set your season up for success, and the impact of feeding a balanced diet with the right mineral supplementation cannot be underestimated at this time. Agvance has developed Premium Transition for Maize SI to ensure you’re giving the right mineral supplementation to your springer cows at the right time. Negative DCAD for transition Premium Transition for Maize uses anionic salts along with key trace elements to improve rumen function and supply higher levels of available energy in early lactation. Using negative DCAD supports the mobilisation of calcium and phosphorus to reduce the risk of milk fever and other metabolic issues. Easily to dose Transition Premix can be dosed via mixer or feedout wagon. It blends well and its excellent palatability means the cows will eat their full ration, making it a cost-effective way to ensure your cows are getting all the minerals they need. Improve cow performance with premium mineral ingredients

Get the science with our Springer Transition Series: How to ensure your springers get the right mineral supplementation Supplementation of the springer cow is critical to minimising metabolic diseases. We recommend the following steps to ensure your springers receive the correct levels of minerals. Step 1: Decide what you’re going to feed your springers and how much. Step 2: Complete a herbage analysis on the pasture, silages, and other components of the diet. Step 3: Calculate the DCAD, which gives you an idea of how risky that feed or diet is to causing metabolic disease. Step 4: Ascertain the magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and mineral proportions of the feed. Step 5: With the herbage analysis complete, look at the calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus components of the diet. Levels within the total diet should sit at:

calcium 0.7%
magnesium 0.2%
phosphorus 0.3%

Most springer diets don’t contain enough calcium to get cows through the springer period and transition well. Magnesium is also critical. Most farmers will dust regularly for springer cows. This usually requires a calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium supplement to go along with the DCAD salt, or the DCAD-lowering supplement to the springer cows. Talk to your local Agvance Consultant Get in touch today for specific advice or to order: Call 0800 BALANCE, contact your local Agvance consultant directly or login to your Agvance account.

What the research shows

A controlled study in multiparous Holstein cows found that feeding a more acidogenic pre-calving diet improved postpartum calcium status, with the strongest response in older cows, and also lifted dry matter intake and milk yield in the first three weeks after calving when urine pH was driven into the target acidification range. (DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-12221)
A transition study comparing 21 days versus 42 days of negative DCAD feeding found that both approaches acidified cows and supported calcium balance, while extending the programme beyond 21 days did not improve outcomes and may reduce later milk yield and reproductive performance. (DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-14580)
A commercial pen-level trial on four dairy farms found that prepartum negative DCAD feeding improved early milk production, pregnancy to first insemination, and reduced culling risk in multiparous cows, showing that the response can carry through beyond calving under herd conditions. (DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-19390)

Limits

These studies evaluate negative DCAD transition programmes in dairy cows, not Premium Transition for Maize South Island itself. They also do not test this exact Agvance formulation in a South Island maize-based springer system under normal farm feeding conditions.

Study details and links

What was tested

Research on acidogenic pre-calving diets in transition cows, including a controlled dose-response DCAD study, a study comparing shorter versus longer negative DCAD feeding periods, and a commercial herd trial evaluating production and reproduction responses to negative DCAD feeding before calving.

What was measured

Urine pH, blood calcium status, dry matter intake, milk yield, metabolic responses, reproduction outcomes, and culling risk.

Study links (DOI / publisher)

Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference on aspects of peripartum mineral and energy metabolism and performance of multiparous Holstein cows, Journal of Dairy Science: DOI 10.3168/jds.2016-12221
PubMed record: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28434740/
Effects of level of dietary cation-anion difference and duration of prepartum feeding on performance and metabolism of dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science: DOI 10.3168/jds.2018-14580
PubMed record: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29885896/
Controlled trial of the effect of negative dietary cation-anion difference prepartum diets on milk production, reproductive performance, and culling of dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science: DOI 10.3168/jds.2020-19390
PubMed record: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33715852/

More detail on limits

The evidence supports negative DCAD feeding before calving as a transition strategy, rather than this branded premix as a directly trialled product.
Results still depend on ration setup, time on the diet, parity, intake consistency, and the wider mineral profile of the springer programme.