Fertrell Blog

Jeff Mattocks

Find me on:

Recent Posts

Sulfur supplement for Livestock

   Sulfur is a key nutrient for all living creatures. It is an essential nutrient that we often overlook. For many years sulfur was free. It was being emitted by coal burning power plants, diesel fuel vehicles and other sources. This sulfur was caught in the clouds and returned to the earth by rainfall. However, this rain was acidic due to the sulfur dioxide and Nitric acid. The acid rain was causing negative side effects in lakes and water ways killing fish and reptiles in lakes and ponds. Also killing some types of trees and other vegetation. With acid rain causing environmental problems the EPA made laws and set restriction on sulfur and nitric acid emissions reducing the sulfur levels.

Spring Swine

Pigs are usually pretty “Bullet Proof” when raising them. The concerns with pig and the spring season are cold wet ground and increased parasite activity. Both of these can be managed by keeping the pigs moving on fresh ground regularly.

Cattle Grazing

Grazing season is here for many of you. Or coming soon for the rest. Grazing season is always exciting for both the livestock and you. Spring grass is rich in protein and potassium. These can be a deadly combination for most grazing livestock.

Looking for Baby Chicks?

Looking for Baby chicks? Consider connecting with the breeders of heritage type poultry breeds. There are a few resources available to connect you with the actual poultry breeders. Folks who have a passion to improve and maintain poultry breeds as they were intended.

Friends with Benefits!

The backyard chickens are those friends that could be in your backyard. Even in most urban areas backyards poultry are legal pets. Pets with rewards.

COVID 19 Update from The Fertrell Company March 23, 2020

Dear valued customers and friends,

RC Gold and Why!

   RC Gold 4X is the cornerstone of the Fertrell’s dairy nutrition program. It came about 13 years ago. When fuel prices were astronomical and the cost of shipping products became way too expensive. At the same time milk prices were depressed. The farmer’s woes were coming from 2 sides fuel price up and milk prices down. This economic storm was the trigger for developing RC Gold 4X.

Fertrell Nutri-Sil – Forage Inoculant

Fertrell’s Forage Inoculant is available in a dry and a water-soluble form.

Spring Freshening

Some of the Keys to a Successful spring freshening that I have seen in past are: Good energy and protein levels, proper anionic minerals, above average vitamin levels, and a toxin binder when on stored feeds. It is fairly well known that proper amount of energy is necessary for calf development and cow body condition. You can’t see inside to know what the calf looks like. But you can see the cow and how her body condition is looking.

Dry Cow Mineral

A little history lesson, years ago Fertrell offered a dry cow mineral. It was called Hi Phos 3 – 15. Some of you probably remember this mineral blend. For several reasons, Hi Phos 3 – 15 went away. It had ingredients that were frowned upon by some organic certifiers and it was expensive. Sales had dwindled to a level low enough to remove it from our product line.

After that, feeding dry cows went along prettywell until recently. As we are formulating dry cow rations these days, we see deficiencies and imbalances that will lead to calving problems. I am seeing way too much potassium in many of the forages that are being fed to dry cows. We are also seeing way too many mold and mycotoxins in the forage
test being reported. These trends in forages and feedstuffs for dry cows has driven us back to needing a dry cow specific mineral blend.

A blend that can buffer the antagonistic inputs, support better health and balance cations and anions in the dry cow’s metabolism. The new dry cow mineral contains Mono-Sodium Phosphate for the best phosphorus source available in the market. The Mono-Sodium Phosphate ensures that critically needed phosphorus enters into the blood stream to condition and support reproductive organs. Especially the ovaries and uterus during times of stress.

Fertrell Dry Cow mineral also contains magnesium sulfate to supply high quality magnesium and sulfur. Magnesium is essential during the dry period to buffer excess potassium, lignin and high fiber. Magnesium is an effective mild laxative to keep the digestive tract moving smoothly as well. It has been found very effective in the first segment of the small intestinal tract where blockages are fairly common leading to bloat and or displaced abomasum. We also included Redmond Conditioner to aid in managing molds and toxins that may be in the grains and forages being fed. We feel that molds and mycotoxins are becoming more common in forages. I am not sure if there are more in recent years or if we have

About this Blog

The Fertrell Company blog is for farmers, backyard gardeners, and homesteaders alike. Learn from the experts on all things natural and organic for both soil and livestock.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

see all