Agvance Nutrition

29/01/2026

Loose manure, dip in production, cows not holding condition? That’s often a rumen that’s not coping with the feed.

Try Bioyeastar 4C, a yeast culture that provides yeast metabolites to help digestion, so cows get more from the feed they’re already eating.

What you can expect 👀
• More consistent rumen function
• Better feed use through improved digestibility
• Useful when cows are under pressure from heat, stressed grasses and diet change

Best time to use it ⏰
• When cows shift onto new feeds or new breaks
• When you’re seeing loose manure or inconsistent rumen performance
• During heat stress and other high-stress periods like calving and early lactation

Talk to your local Agvance Consultant to see how Bioyeastar 4C can fit into your system now.

27/01/2026

🎧 Have you listened to all 12 episodes of the myCOW podcast? Now's the time to catch up!

Here’s what you’ll get across the series:

Farm tech you can actually use!

⚫ Ep 12: SmaXtec with Jeff Hill and Sara Russell
⚫ Ep 10: Halter virtual fencing with Nick Hand
⚫ Ep 7: Farm tech and wearables, the future of cow monitoring
⚫ Ep 4: Farm tech and wearables, what’s worth it with Ben Matthews

Cow nutrition and the stuff that drags production down ⬇

⚫ Ep 11: Using data to drive cow appetite
⚫ Ep 6: The science of ketosis in dairy cows
⚫ Ep 2: Transition cow management
⚫ Ep 5: Cow condition, what it is and how to manage it

Pasture, soil and profit 🌿

⚫ Ep 9: Measuring and managing soil health with Conan Moynihan
⚫ Ep 3: Stocking rate vs farm profit with Ben Croft
⚫ Ep 8: Building a strong farm business with Chris Deroles

Start with the topic that’s giving you the biggest headache this week, then work through the rest. Listen on Spotify, iHeart or Apple podcasts, or simply follow the link: https://mycow.nz/podcast/

Science-based, farmer-friendly dairy cow nutrition podcast. Hosted by Shaun Balemi. Listen on Spotify, Apple and iHeart. Get more milk from every feed.

20/01/2026

If they’re standing more than they’re grazing, heat stress is already costing you.

What you'll often see first:
🌞 Cows standing without grazing
🌞 Panting and drooling
🌞 Dip in production
🌞 Unsettle mobs or the odd wobbly cow if endophyte pressure is up

Solution? Ascocool - Seaweed Concentrated Extract

Why farmers use it at this point of the season:
⚫ Supports cows when heat stress and grass staggers risk is up
⚫ Helps bind naturally occurring toxins that can rise in hot conditions
⚫ Supports the liver when pasture and feed pressure ramp up

Run it daily through feed or water, and keep it up until the days get cooler.

Talk to your Agvance Consultant to get it into your system and your herd now.

16/01/2026

Sudden drop in milk, and a few cows doing weird stuff (head up, staggering, tremors)? Don’t shrug it off!

We've been seeing a lot of vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency this summer, which happens when the rumen gets knocked around by heat or feed stress 🐄☀️

What to watch for 👀

◾Milk drops fast, before anything else looks obvious
◾“Stargazing” (head held high), staggering/drifting, tremors, dull cows, slower to the shed, not grazing down
◾Common triggers include hot humid days, sudden feed changes, poor water access, and high sulphur in feed/water/supplements

What to do ✅

◾If you’re seeing nervous signs, treat it as urgent and call your vet. Early treatment usually goes well
◾Check sulphur risk. Problems are more likely when total sulphur is above 0.5% of the total diet
◾Don’t try to “fix” it by adding B1 to troughs. It breaks down fast in water and sunlight

Want the full rundown (signs, risk factors, prevention steps)? Read the article here: https://agvance.co.nz/are-your-cows-experiencing-b1-deficiency/

13/01/2026

Happy New Year, everyone! We’re back at work and ready to kick off 2026! We're excited to support your farming needs and look forward to a great year ahead.

Let’s make it a fantastic one together!

22/12/2025

Happy Holidays from Agvance! 🐄

Hey folks! As the holidays roll in, we’re taking a little break to enjoy time with family and friends. We'll be closed from 23 December to 12 January.

Wishing you a festive season full of laughter, good food, and sunny days! We will see you in 2026!

Take care,
The Agvance Team

18/12/2025

Goats can be on a great ration and still underperform if the minerals aren’t right.

Mineral imbalance often shows up as the “hard to pin down” stuff first:
🐐 Milk yield or milk solids drifting down
🐐 Delayed cycling and patchy mating results
🐐 Weak kids and slower post-kidding recovery
🐐 More health niggles than you’d expect

Goats don’t store minerals the way cows and sheep can, so they need a steady, reliable intake, not a once-in-a-while top-up. That’s why source and delivery matter. Cheap salts and oxides can look good on paper, but if they’re poorly absorbed or clash with other minerals, you pay for it in performance.

A solid mineral plan starts with data: pasture and soil testing, plus blood or liver samples. Then you can build a mix that matches what your farm is actually doing, and deliver it in a form goats will actually eat, like pellets, prills, or through in-shed feeding.

Read the full article here: https://agvance.co.nz/dairy-goats-feeding-for-performance/

15/12/2025

We are thrilled to be involved with the Waikato Dairy Industry Awards again - this time as a Tier One sponsor 🐄✨

Supporting our local dairy community is incredibly important to us, and we’re proud to be part of an event that celebrates the hard work and dedication of our up-and-coming farmers.

10/12/2025

Calling all South Island dairy farmers - don't let summer conditions ruin your herd's production and pregnancies!

South Island summers can be rough on cows. Once temps push past 21C, cows start dropping milk and empty rates creep up.

Optiprill Summer is built for SI herds on in-shed feeding systems. It's a complete summer mineral mix with calcium, magnesium, sodium and trace minerals in a highly-tasty prill, so your cows keep eating, producing, and holding those pregnancies!

Optiprill Summer gives you:
✅ Molasses for strong intake
✅ Sealed product for dryness and easy flow through the system
✅ Consistent, durable prill that holds up in the bin
✅ Fast breakdown in the rumen for quick availability
✅ Quality ingredients for reliable mineral cover

Talk to your local Agvance Consultant about getting Optiprill Summer into your shed now.

08/12/2025

Have you caught up on the latest episode of the MYCOW Podcast? We are proud to support a podcast that allows the dairy community to share valuable knowledge to build everyone's business.

Don't miss episode 12, where Shaun Balemi and Ben Matthews are talking to Jeff Hill of smaXtec animal care and Canterbury farmer Sara Russell about her success with cow monitoring on-farm.

🎧 Tune in now:
Spotify: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/F7yT1VJkOYb
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-mycow-podcast-180907720/episode/ep-12-farm-tech-smaxtec-310741375/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-12-farm-tech-smaxtec-with-jeff-hill-sara-russell/id1825758773?i=1000739587580

04/12/2025

Get your summer orders in now!

We're taking a well-deserved break to spend time with family and friends this holiday season.

We'll be closed from 23 December to 12 January. Please reach out to your Agvance consultant to ensure your orders are completed before we close. Thank you!

02/12/2025

Did you know that once temps hit 21°C and humidity goes above 70%, cows are at risk of facial eczema and heat stress? For most North Island herds, this is already a problem.

Set your herd up with Solutrace FE now. It contains essential trace minerals, zinc for FE protection AND flavouring, all in one bag.

Need more science-backed reasons? Here are a few more:
✅ The organic chromium helps bind naturally occurring toxins in pasture, reducing heat stress.
✅ Contains essential trace elements that are often depleted during the summer months.
✅ Completely soluble for easy mixing.
✅ Aniseed flavouring so your cows will actually drink it!
✅ Optimised zinc levels protect against facial eczema.
✅ German-quality copper plexomin chelate ensures a safe, readily available supply of copper for summer.
✅ KemTRACE chromium offers production advantages.
✅ Good levels of cobalt, selenium, and chromium support liver function and recovery.

What more could you ask for? Oh yeah - it's also extremely cost-effective.

Get in touch with your Agvance Consultant now and don't let the heat and humidity ruin your herd's health and performance.