Modern intensive farming practices have resulted in soils with mineral deficiencies. These deficiencies manifest in low nutritional content of grasses and cereal grain crops from these soils and, consequently, in the health of animals maintained by these crops. This causes commercial animals to require the addition of mineral feed supplement in their diet for a complete and balanced feed ration.

With the growing interest in organic dairy production and conversion of farms from conventional to organic systems, natural sources of trace minerals are becoming increasingly sought after. Seaweed minerals have been identified as containing a rich source of 60 elements including iodine, 21 amino acids and 12 vitamins including A, C, B12, thiamine, E and/or its precursor tocopherol. Perhaps the most significant benefit of sea plants is that the minerals are chelated, meaning that they are easily digested by animals. Chelated minerals are bonded to small proteins, peptides or amino acids. It has even been suggested that they are more soluble and can easily cross the intestinal wall as compared to other minerals (Rompala & Halley, 1995).

NAO's customers have found the benefits of Atlantic-Gro^® SeaMeal are:

• Increased regularity and strength of heat cycles and improved conception rate
• More efficient feed utilisation (promotes metabolization and absorption of nutrients)
• Minimized production losses during stress periods
• Fewer problems caused by dietary deficiencies such as mastitis, retained placenta, laminitis and milk fever
• Reduced somatic cell counts

Visit Our Products for more information about our sea plant products, available for online ordering.

 We have been using kelp seaweed as a source of selenium and other minerals for our herd for over two years. It is an economical, organic mineral source that allows for good uptake by the cows. It has improved heat detection and overall animal health. I would recommend this product to anybody in the dairy industry. 

Kent Rennie, Dock Road Dairy Farm Ltd.

 

 It is hard to prove if seaweed is the one that helps out, but I know my pregnancy is getting better. 

Pieter Van der Stoel, Van der Stoel Dairy

 

 I, personally, could see favourable growth throughout the 2011 growing season on seaweed treated plots. 

Floyd Gavin, Crimson Harvest Cranberries speaking to benefits of seaweed trials conducted by Agriculture and Agrifood Canada which showed yield increased in seaweed plots compared to control (un-treated) plots