Most fifth graders aren’t too concerned about their herds’ reproductive performance, but there is one such young man who did want to track his cows’ conception and reproduction rates. While his animal-science based science fair project was educational and enjoyable for him, it is also taking him through the ranks of competition.
Andrew Brown, the 11-year-old fifth grader at Wheelersburg Middle School in Ohio, has already won the school, county and district science fair competitions, and will head to the state competition at The Ohio State University in May. He titled his project “How do Nutrition Supplements Impact Conception in Cattle?” And the answers he discovered are going to help him grow his herd.
Andrew had two groups of cows to breed. He had a group of seven cows, that were given VitaFerm® Concept•Aid®, and the control group of eight cows that didn’t have Concept•Aid in their diets. All other feed, water and environmental conditions were the same between the two groups. And Concept•Aid proved it does impact conception and reproductive performance.
“I’m interested in cattle and want better reproductive rates,” Andrew said. “We live on a small farm and want to have a good, healthy herd.”
The group of cows that had Concept•Aid, with the Amaferm® is a prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply for maximum performance. It is research-proven to increase intake, digestion and absorption.
As a result, Andrew said he and his family plan to feed Concept•Aid to all their cows this year.
“We want to see if it will have the impact on our conception and reproductive rates,” Andrew said.
Andrew already understands the importance of building his herd; he and his brother own a cow together that calved this spring. Andrew is trying to buy his brother’s half of the heifer calf so he has the foundation of his herd.
In addition to animal science, this project has introduced Andrew to the world of marketing. Gerlach Farm & Feed Supply, his local BioZyme® dealer, has asked him to share his research findings with their customers and potential customers, looking for extra information about Concept•Aid.
Andrew has a bright future ahead of him. Science fair projects and taking care of his livestock are just two areas where he excels. But at BioZyme, we’ll be tracking Andrew’s performance.
