Nutrition & Agriculture
Product information and product specifications are available to request or download.
Salt is Essential for Dairy Cow Productivity
How Much Salt?
It’s all about getting the right balance…
Balance Potassium with Salt
By choosing the right balance and application rates of Potassium and Salt for soils, pasture, supplements, and cows research shows:
- A decrease in pasture clumping (less obvious fertility patch)
- An increase in pasture palatability
- Improved pasture utilisation by cows
- Better DM degradation in the cow
- Improved milk curve persistency by cows
Balance Nutrition by Feeding more Salt
Research shows that by balancing your cows essential mineral requirements and ratios by using more salt leads to:
- Improved fertility
- Minimising health (clover bloat, acidosis, grass staggers, ketosis) and hoof issues (laminitis/ lameness)
- Increased feed intake
- Improved milk production
Balancing Potassium and Salt Requirements
Choosing the right balance and application rates of Potassium (K) and Salt (Na) leads to improved pasture quality and productivity on the farm.
Salting soils & Pasture benefits:
- Improved pasture quality, growth and clover %
- Improved pasture utilisation
- Better DM degradation
- Improved milk curve persistency
Productivity & Health benefits:
- Decrease in metabolics and health issues
- Increased feed intake
- Increased milk production
- Improved fertility
Mineral Interrelationships
This graph shows the ideal balance for best Dry Matter intake and milk production by balancing Potassium (K) and Sodium Chloride (NaCl) intake.
Source: Adapted from Sanchez et al 1994b Meta-Analysis NRC 2001, page 120, Ref 159: Journal of Dairy Science, 1994b, 77:3096-3002.
Ideal Balance of Potassium and Salt for Dairy Cows
Feed Input Potassium to Sodium and Chloride Ratios
Potassium Content of New Zealand Pastures
This graph was created based on a Survey of 125 New Zealand pasture samples collected during one growing season.
Summit Technical Bulletins
Summit Resources
