Strong hoof health is essential for keeping a consistent feed intake while reducing injury prevalence and economic loss, which is why the Garvan Park Feedlot (GPF) team have included quality, specific organic trace mineral, ZinMet®, in their backgrounding process.
With increased wet weather inundating Victorian farmlands and waterlogging pastures, GPF Feedlot Manager Nic Cook noticed more cattle were coming in from the sale yard with sore feet.
Nic says he believes prolonged exposure to waterlogged land was softening the cattle’s hooves before going to the sale yards, where standing and walking on hard surfaces was leading to sore feet for the stock.
“When hooves are wet for extended periods, it can soften the tissue making bruising and penetration injuries more common,” he says.
Operating since 2004, Garvan Park Feedlot is capable of running 3500 head of cattle where they feed mixed breeds of cattle.
The GPF team include ZinMet® in their feedlot feed but also in their supplemental feed for backgrounding cattle to get them ready for intensive feeding.
“When cattle have sore feet, they’re less likely to travel through the paddock to access supplemental feed which, in turn, affects their performance and means they start their intensive feeding at a lower weight,” Nic says.
“Including ZinMet® into their feed, we started noticing an improvement in the hoof health of affected cattle within a couple of weeks, walking more confidently.”
Nic Cook, Garvan Park Feedlot
A combined source of specific organic trace minerals, zinc and chromium, ZinMet® stimulates keratin (the protein that helps form hooves) production in treated animals, accelerating hoof growth, hoof hardening, and maintaining cellular integrity.
Nic says GPF has been using ZinMet® for about four years, and when the weather is particularly wet and on the suggestion from their nutritionist, they double the dosage to ensure the stock are getting what they need.
Austasia Animal Products National Sales Manager Paul Lloyd says ZinMet®’s unique complexation of zinc and chromium boosts the performance of feedlot cattle by improving their cell sensitivity to insulin.
“Insulin plays a critical role in many of the physiological functions in beef cattle and chromium is the essential trace element that makes it happen,” he said.
“Recent research has found ZinMet® enhanced feedlot cattle performance with a 3% increase in average daily gains and a 2.3% improvement in dry matter feed conversion.
“This combination of minerals is bound to a specific organic escort, methionine, which helps bypass rumen degradation at approximately 80%, making ZinMet® more readily available for absorption through the gastrointestinal tract.”
Proudly manufactured in AAP’s state-of-the-art facility at Forbes, NSW, ZinMet® is the only specific-organic trace mineral additive in the domestic market made in Australia.
Nic said his experience working with AAP had been positive, appreciating the professional and personal services they provide.
“Our AAP Sales Manager Liam drops in to see how we’re going, and since working with him, he has taken the time to get to know our operation and what we’re trying to achieve,” he says.
“If there are cattle producers, feedlots or farmers looking to improve the hoof health of their cattle, I recommend introducing ZinMet® or working with Austasia Animal Products.”
Learn more about our quality-specific organic trace mineral, ZinMet®, and its benefits for feedlot cattle.
Please be aware this article contains graphic images of a severely injured horse’s leg. Discretion is advised.
Healesville Horse Owner Alison Callaghan’s stomach sank after a severe injury had degloved her horse, Abbiey’s leg, leading to an expected six-to-eight-month recovery which Alison believes has been accelerated with the inclusion of ZinMet® 50.
Alison believes Abbiey may have gotten her leg caught in a gnarled branch that had perforated her skin, leading to her degloving the soft tissue of her leg when she pulled it free.
“The injury was that severe, it had exposed the bone,” she said.
Abbiey's injury
Facing a lengthy recovery time, Alison said she and the Vet were surprised to see how quickly Abbiey’s wound was healing after inspecting the wound three days later.
“Taking the bandages off to look at Abbiey’s leg, we were both surprised to see how quickly the soft tissue began to recover,” she said.
Three days after Abbiey's injury
Alison’s first introduced ZinMet® 50 to her horses about four years ago from Victorian Stockist, Tracey Mallia who swears by the organic trace mineral additive.
Alison said she includes ZinMet® along with vitamin C and magnesium in Abbiey’s feed, giving her 14.4g twice daily.
“Being a 19-year-old Arabian, Abbiey was prone to rain scald and skin peeling on her nose before being introduced to the additive.
“When we ran out of ZinMet®, we noticed her healing had slowed down until we were restocked.”
10 weeks after Abbiey's injury.
ZinMet® contains vital trace minerals zinc and chromium that are bound to methionine which allows ~80% absorption through the gastrointestinal tract.
Austasia Animal Products National Business Manager Paul Lloyd said ZinMet® was ideal for equine animals experiencing prolonged wet weather, exposed hard/rough stalls, waterlogged soils, health challenges, or a high prevalence of lameness.
“This combination of organic trace minerals enhances wound recovery by boosting the generation of epithelial tissue such as the skin and hooves while also increasing the tolerance to, and recovery from stress and morbidity,” he said.
While Abbiey still has a bit of a recovery time ahead of her Alison said she believes Abbiey’s healing has been in conjunction with her use of ZinMet®.
Learn more about our quality-specific organic trace mineral, ZinMet®, and its benefits for equine animals.
It’s been a busy year for our team travelling overseas and throughout the country, visiting customers, attending industry events, team members retiring and more.
Here is a summary of Austasia Animal Products 2023.
AAP Tours the USA
The start of this year saw Chris and Paul travel to North America to learn the latest news from our parent company Global Animal Products and the USA feedlot industry.
Chris and Paul attended the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans where they learnt about American feedlots and supporting industries.
After the conference, they travelled to Amarillo, Texas where they visited the Global Animal Product plant, gaining an insight into how their Texan counterparts operate and their plans for 2023.
The tour provided them with useful insights into American beef market developments, consumer trends, and emerging data on our products.
Fourth Annual Feeding Lambs for Profit Field Day
Our team made their way to Cowra to attend the Fourth Annual Feeding Lambs for Profit Field Day at the start of March.
The team had a great time catching up with customers and industry colleagues. With producers from all over Australia attending, there were several fantastic presentations from industry leaders such as Dr Stephen Bonner, Andrew Jackson from Thomas Food Industries, Dr Col Scrivener and more.
It was a great opportunity for our team to learn more about Australia’s lamb industry and get to know local producers.
Riverina BEEF4U
Committed to supporting all livestock industries across Australia, we were more than thrilled to support Riverina Stockfeeds’ BEEF4U as sponsors. Over the two days of the conference, Iain, John, and Liam caught up with customers, producers, and industry colleagues.
The second day of the conference was spent touring the award-winning Stockyard Beef Kerwee Feedlot at Jondaryan with additional presentations on agistment, cattle lung health, feed preparation, and more.
WagyuEdge 2023
At the start of April, the Team was in Sydney for the Wagyu sector’s largest conference, WagyuEdge 2023. The conference brings together the components of the sector under one roof.
WagyuEdge 2023 had industry experts hold in-depth presentations on production, exporting, nutrition, marketing and more.
Austasia unveils new look
Halfway through the year, we rebranded our logo to reflect our status as Australia’s market leader in specific organic trace minerals and probiotic additives.
The new branding is in line with our parent company Global Animal Products’s new branding while also being distinctly Austasia Animal Products.
Contact us to find the right specific organic trace mineral for you.
Christian Hansen launches new probiotic
As the sole providers of Christian Hansen’s Beef Culture, we were excited to see them launch the latest product Beef Culture Defend Plus at the National Cattleman’s Beef Association conference in New Orleans.
Beef Culture is a research-proven probiotic additive for feedlot cattle that contains two different species of Bacillus organisms which helps with weight gain in beef.
We can’t wait for Beef Culture Defend Plus to come to Australian markets.
Contact us to learn more about Beef Culture
AAP welcomes new CEO
After more than 20 years leading our team, Chris decided it was time to take the step into a well-deserved retirement. We’re grateful for Chris’s service to AAP, using his skills and experience combined with his leadership to lead our team as the market leader of specific organic trace minerals and probiotic additives.
With his retirement, AAP appointed experienced agribusiness manager Gerhard Oberholzer as the new CEO. Gerhard brings over 20 years of experience in the agriculture industry working in both Australian and South Australian sectors.
We look forward to Gerhard leading our team, continuing where Chris had left off.
Beef, Bling, and Bowties
While we’re all working hard growing quality beef, it’s also important to let the hair down which is why we were proud to sponsor the Women of Lot Feeding’s Beef, Bling, and Bowties Ball.
The ball was a great excuse for Paul, Iain and Gerhard to look sharp, catch up with our customers, and have a good night out.
To keep up to date with our team, events, and news, follow Austasia Animal Products on social media.
An off-the-cuff chin wag about the benefits of including zinc in cattle feeding programs piqued farrier Ash Morris’ curiosity for Austasia Animal Products’ specific organic trace mineral, ZinMet.
Between running his own Shorthorn stud and hoof trimming business, Ash has seen first-hand the impact poor hoof health can have on the wellbeing of cattle.
Ash works with dairy and beef cattle operations throughout New South Wales and Queensland with his own business, Morris Hoof Trimming, providing quality maintenance and care.
“When servicing dairy cattle, we work hard to keep their hooves in the best condition to avoid the impact lameness and involuntary culling can have on production,” he says.
“I first learnt about ZinMet after a conversation with a mate who was working at Austasia Animal Products at the time, and I thought I would check it out for myself.”
After implementing ZinMet, Ash noticed small improvements to the overall wellbeing of the animals being treated with the specific organic trace mineral.
“The most notable changes I’ve seen in the animals treated with ZinMet would be the improvements to the skin and hair of our own cattle,” he says.
“One of my clients in Central Queensland also uses ZinMet in their feeding program, and they’ve noticed a change for the better in the hoof integrity and overall growth of their cattle.”
ZinMet is a combined source of specific organic trace minerals - zinc and chromium bound to methionine. The unique complexation of minerals to a specific organic escort bypasses rumen degradation at a rate of approximately 80 per cent, making ZinMet more readily available for absorption through the gastrointestinal tract.
"Research has shown ZinMet to reduce incidences of lameness by up to 43%."
AAP National Business Manager Paul Lloyd
“ZinMet helps reduce lameness in treated animals and also boosts their immune health, which results in improved wound healing, increased epithelial tissue repair, accelerated hoof growth, hoof hardening, and enhanced cellular integrity,” Paul says.
After seeing the improvements in his own herd, Ash now recommends ZinMet to his own clients, many of whom now use it in their own operations, plus quite a lot of feed companies that supply his customers also use ZinMet in their rations.
Ash says there’s a noticeable difference in the condition of cattle treated with ZinMet, with their skin being shinier and their feet being visibly healthier in general.
“The most notable results I have seen have been in bulls. Bulls treated with ZinMet could have stronger and healthier hooves in beasts as young as 14 to 18 months and older,” he said.
“We encourage our customers to use ZinMet as a strategy to stimulate better hoof health, skin and hair growth, and overall wellbeing as a precaution and prevention measure. The key is to be proactive, not reactive.
“I believe in ZinMet’s benefits and recommend it for anyone trying to improve their cattle’s overall wellbeing and keep their livestock’s production on the ‘front foot’.”
Learn more about our specific organic trace mineral additive and its benefits for dairy cattle.
Please be aware this article contains graphic images of a severely lame horse’s hoof. Discretion is advised.
Tracey Mallia first discovered Zinmet® in 2020, while treating a formerly competitive dressage horse with long-running, severe hoof problems.
Based in Nar Nar Goon, Victoria, Tracey runs a shockwave and pulse electrotherapy business treating horses for a range of conditions and injuries.
Her husband, Tony, is a farrier with over 40 years experience in the industry. Together, they offer equine services to a broad catchment area across Victoria and New South Wales.
Buddy, a 14-year-old thoroughbred, came to their stable with extremely severe damage to his hooves, due to an incorrect diagnosis from another specialist.
“He was being treated for laminitis, which actually developed as a result of an incorrect diagnosis,” says Tracey.
When his owner reached out to Tracey, Buddy hadn’t been able to stand for two weeks due to the pressure and inflammation in his hooves.
“It was the worst case of sloughing I’ve ever seen,” Tracey continues.
“I told his owner that I couldn’t make any promises, but we would try to find a way to help him.”
“We ended up in contact with a UK-based vet who gave us some solutions to help ease Buddy’s pain, however we weren’t seeing any real improvement from the hoof itself.”
Tracey’s next step was to put the word out via Facebook, sharing photos of Buddy’s condition and asking for any recommendations about potential treatment.
Austasia Animal Products team member, Liam Grantham, responded to her enquiry and provided Tracey with a range of clinical literature published on Zinmet® and its benefits.
“By that point, we had to try something or accept that Buddy wasn’t going to recover,” Tracey said.
Tracey also notes that Buddy was on a nutritionist-recommended exclusion diet, ensuring that the laminitis was not being inflamed by anything in his feed.
“We started Buddy on Zinmet® and the improvements began to show after that supplement was introduced.”
“Initially he was dosed twice a day with his feeds, 2 tablespoons per feed,” she continues.
“The extent of his illness would normally have taken around 18 months to fully heal, but with Zinmet® it was under control after just three months.”
“We then dropped his dose back to 1 tablespoon a day, and around 12 months after he arrived we sent him home and he’s back under saddle and fully sound.”
Tracey now distributes Zinmet® to her clients as needed, and uses it every day to optimise her own horses’ health (dosing ≈1 tablespoon per horse per day).
“Even during the wet season my horses can be up to their knees in water and their hooves will stay strong and healthy thanks to their daily dose of Zinmet®,” said Tracey.
AAP manufacturers Zinmet®, a combined source of organic trace minerals, Zinc and Chromium, bound to methionine which increases the absorption of these minerals through the gastrointestinal tract. Suitable for cattle and sheep, research-based evidence confirms Zinmet®'s ability to improve average daily gain, feed conversion efficiency, better stress tolerance and reduce hoof problems.
