Summit AG Salt - Fine or Coarse 20kg

Summit AG Salt – Fine or Coarse 20kg

Lack of sodium can be a production limiting issue.

It is easily fixed with salt.

When sodium is low, salt is one of the most cost effective methods of increasing production. Sodium in some form should be available at all times all year round. AgSalt is not recommended for water treatment – refer to Summit HydroSoft Water Treatment Salt.

Summit AgSalt is washed, crushed, dried and classified to yield coarse and fine grains. The salt is suitable for stockfeed and other uses around the farm. Summit HydroSoft is recommended for water treatment as it has a higher purity than AgSalt Coarse and is additive free.

Product	Summit AgSalt Coarse	Summit AgSalt Fine
Pack Size	20kg	20kg
NaCl (Salt) purity (dry)	+98%	+99%
Moisture when packed	<0.2%	<0.2%
Approx grain size	2-4mm	1mm (+/-0.5mm)

Sodium and Dairy Production

Salt is lost to the cow in milk, urine, faeces, sweat and saliva. And it is not insignificant – a cow milking 20 litres/day can lose the equivalent of 35g of salt in the milk each day. Pasture can be low in sodium and bulk feeds are often deficient. The benefits of sodium supplementation have been demonstrated in NZ and overseas. A trial conducted near Rotorua by AgResearch in 1999-2000 supplemented cows with 35g/day salt and achieved a 12.8% lift in milk production. Milk yield responses occurred immediately and continued through the trial. At the time $1 spent on salt returned $33 in extra milk.

Animals have a strong appetite for salt but individual salt needs will vary. Factors influencing needs include:

Sodium and chloride levels in the pasture
Sodium and chloride levels in the water
The production cycle – growth, reproduction and lactation will increase requirements
Temperature/humidity – sweating will increase sodium requirements
Potassium levels in the diet – animals will try to balance high potassium feeds with additional salt to maintain fluid balance
Low sodium levels in bulk feeds eg maize silage, palm kernel

Summit AgSalt can be added to low sodium bulk feeds to improve palatability and maintain milk production.

Salt with Hay

The addition of salt to hay, either at stacking or at feeding out, enhances its palatability.

To stacked hay, add salt to the stack by spreading over each layer of haybales at a rate of 1kg for every 10 bales.

When feeding out, spread 500g of coarse salt to each bale, leaving a trail of salted hay across the paddock. Or, form a brine by dissolving 2kg salt in 10 litres of water, and pour 1 litre of brine over each bales prior to feeding out.

Some AgSalt Uses

Farm Applications	Summit Agsalt Fine	Summit Agsalt Coarse
SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDS	Refer to Agricultural Salt Research PDF
STOCK FEED
Mineral Mixes	✓	✓
With Hay or Silage	✓	✓
In Meals	✓
With Lucerne / Red Clover	✓	✓
With Kikuyu / Paspalum	✓	✓
With Maize	✓	✓
FERTISLISER
Pasture		✓
Crops	✓	✓
Beets, Sugar beets, Turnips & Swedes		✓
DRENCH/WATER TROUGH	✓
CURING HIDES & SKINS		✓
WEED CONTROL IN YARDS & ON DRIVEWAYS	✓	✓
Barleygrass	✓	✓
DE-ICING ROADS		✓
WATER SOFTENING	Not Recommended – Refer HydroSoft	Not Recommended – Refer HydroSoft

Home Applications	Summit Agsalt Fine	Summit Agsalt Coarse
OUTSIDE
Weed control on driveways	✓	✓
De-Icing steps and paths	✓	✓
Swimming Pool Chlorination	Not Recommended – Refer Water Treatment Section	Not Recommended – Refer Water Treatment Section
INSIDE
Glazing pottery		✓
Brine making	✓
Baths / saline washes	✓
Stain removal	✓
Household cleaner	✓
Regenerating water softeners	Not Recommended – Refer Water Treatment Section	Not Recommended – Refer Water Treatment Section
COOKING	HOME USE ONLY – Not Recommended for Commercial Application	HOME USE ONLY – Not Recommended for Commercial Application
Pickling	✓
Preserving	✓