Experiences of PrimeHumic in dairy and young cattle

Dairy farm Koepon in North Groningen is not your average company. The modern company with over 400 dairy cows achieves above-average results through an optimal combination of genetics, hygiene, cow comfort and nutrition. Despite this, the company faced a problem with the youngest calves. It turned out to be a variant of the salmonella bacteria. The solution was partly found in the addition of humic acids to the feed. “We were positively surprised that such a small addition could solve the problem,” says manager Marcel Rijkers.

Marcel Rijkers – Koepon company director
© Koepon 2019

It’s simple for René Bruggeman. The profits of PrimeHumic humic acids are about 34 cents per cow per day, the costs are 6 cents. “This sum is easily made,” says the dairy farmer. Together with his brother, he runs a dairy farm with 136 dairy cows and 55 young stock in Wijhe, Overijssel.

About 5 years ago René came into contact with PrimeHumic at the livestock farming and mechanization fair in Hardenberg. “The concept appealed to us, but the question is always whether the revenues are higher than the costs.” His feed supplier knew he had doubts. “They then mixed PrimeHumic into the feed for a good month. Production increased by one liter per cow per day. When they discontinued, it immediately dropped again ”, says René. “We have not changed anything else. So PrimeHumic really improves feed efficiency.”

The longer Marc Krabben supplements his cows with humic acids, the better the results. His 110 dairy cows have now been fed PrimeHumic humic acids for about 5 years. When the feed supplier forgot to mix in PrimeHumic, Marc noticed immediately. “What was going on? Production fell by an average of more than a liter and I noticed from the cows that something was different.” He finds it difficult to put into words what exactly changed. “It’s also partly a feeling.”

Humic acids have a positive effect on the functioning of the intestines. “The healthier the intestines, the healthier the animal”, Marc Krabben knows. “If things are not right at the gut level, you can expect all kinds of problems. These problems manifest themselves differently for each cow. And the effects also differ per company. The addition of humic acids causes milk fat and protein levels to rise in one company, in another it increases production and in some companies it does much less. Fortunately, I was allowed to test first to see if it worked for us.”