Thanks for the all the replies!
I agree bloat guard, etal and all the other similar products on the market don't work. I have seen bloat guard fed as a mixture with a grain supplement. However, bloat prevention cannot be guaranteed because the product is given free-choice, and cow intake is highly variable. However Alfasure is different. Polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol blocks polymers designed for optimum performance in the rumen. Foam is destabilized by reducing surface elasticity and viscosity Alfasure is highly efficacious in preventing frothy bloat in cattle when administered in the drinking water 3 days before cows are exposed to bloat producing conditions. Alfasure is easily administered through water in a palatable, safe and environmentally friendly manner. Alfasure has a safe red dye to facilitate mixing with drinking water. I use automatic medicators. Cows gotta drink water! And it stays in the rumen for 36 hours.
What would the consumer say about cattle that have been fed laundry detergent?! I know I will not buy meat from cattle that have been treated this way! Is it even legal? .
Alfalfa and clover have several economical advantages- reliable forage crop, drought resistant, can recover the hay crop and graze regrowth when pastures are spent in the late summer, do not require nitrogen fertilizers, do not require yearly reseeding. So you increase profits on the same land base and decrease expenses- WIN WIN not to mention the environmental advantages- protection of surface water from runoff contamination, legumes fix nitrogen thereby restoring nutrient value in the land, legumes are excellent at utilization of phosphorous which permits the distribution of manure over the pasture, alfalfa prevents erosion and produces less methane.
Cow-calf pairs consume approx. 68 litres of water per day in the summer, growing cattle 36-55 L/day, finishing cattle 86 L/day. The dosage of Alfasure is 6mLs/head per day for cattle under 1000lbs and 10mls/head per day for cattle over 1000lbs. So the cost to the producer is approx. $0.15- $0.20 per head per day. No withdrawal period for meat or milk. Alfalfa supports stocking rates of 1500-3000 lbs per acre. I've seen 1- 1.3 kg/day average daily gains!