Elders Livestock Production Manager Todd Donaldson has developed a product containing Chromium (KEMTRACE™), that can be used in extensive supplement systems to help with prevention of heat, and in some cases, cold stress in cattle.
Todd has 23 years of experience in ruminant nutrition and animal health, and as a Livestock Production Manager for QLD/NT. Based at Elders Townsville, he helps clients enhance productivity and profitability of their livestock businesses.
Most recently, Todd has been working alongside Olsson’s to develop a new kind of lick block, containing Chromium, known as KEMTRACE, which is being increasingly heralded as an essential mineral for cattle.
In areas like Queensland and the Northern Territory, overnight temperatures can remain at up to 24.6 degrees with a level of humidity, which means cattle may experience the stress of heat for extended periods. This exacerbates conditions such as leaky gut. With 70 per cent of immune system functionality residing in the gastrointestinal tract, leaky gut can have a significant impact upon an animal’s immune system, affecting its production.
But Todd explained that this new adaptation to supplement will help to increase glucose utilisation, reducing the effects of both heat and cold stress – flowing on to lessen the risk of those other conditions too.
“The first thing that really caught my eye with Chromium was the ability to stimulate insulin receptors and increase glucose availability,” he said.
“And the deeper I have gone into the research, the more I realised leaky gut can become a real problem. Heat stressed cows are at a much higher risk of developing leaky gut.”
Leaky gut is a condition where bad bacteria and toxins are let into the animal’s wider system. The animal then goes into an immune response to try to remove the toxins, using significant nutrients, which would normally go towards producing fat, muscle, or milk. This is where producers may see declines in the health of the animal, and the productivity of their herd.
When a cow’s regular diet is supplemented with KEMTRACE, stress can be minimised, and energy levels optimised, meaning a reduced risk of something like leaky gut developing.
Todd said there are also climatic conditions in the extensive grazing system, that may reduce the level of heat stress, like breeze and shaded areas. With that, there are also conditions like hot winds which will not assist in cattle’s temperature reduction.
“This is where I plan to further develop the product and delivery methods to capture data,” Todd said.
“KEMTRACE stimulates insulin receptors, allowing more opened pathways in the animals cells so that more glucose, and therefore energy, can be absorbed into its cells system, in turn removing impacts of that stress.”
Though KEMTRACE contains such a great range of benefits, Todd said that Elders is really getting in on the ground floor with this new product.
“This kind of supplement has existed in the feedlot and dairy industry for some time; it is being used by a few select nutritionists in total mixed rations,” he said.
“But we are really trying to bring it mainstream, pioneering its extension.”