SweetPro Cattle Video Testimonies

"Milk production came up and stayed up!" 

The Wentworth Bros. dairy farm story,
Tony and Connie Hipkins

August 2005 •

Clare, Michigan – Tony and Connie Hipkins, who run the Wentworth Bros. Dairy farm in Clare, Michigan (80 Holstein cows and growing), use SweetPro® non-molasses, distillers grain lick blocks in their operation. They heard about the benefits from their local elevator’s nutritionist (at Johnston Elevator). SweetPro blocks feature natural and safe protein, vitamins, organic-complexed minerals and ProBiotein®, SweetPro Feeds’ proprietary blend additive. ProBiotein consists of yeast cultured on a media of wheat, oats, barley malt and flax. It also contains an amylolytic, fibrinolytic and proteolytic enzyme array along with prebiotic oligosaccharides to feed beneficial probiotic bacteria. Feed savings average between 25 and 30% due to better digestion and utilization.

After introducing SweetPro 16 blocks to their herd, milk production at Wentworth jumped from 50 lbs. to 62-65 lbs. over a two-week period -- total gain of 1,200 lbs! (15¢ out = $2.08 back) They continued to feed the same amount of concentrate and the blocks were the only difference. Tony says, “Milk production came up and stayed up!”

Cows on SweetPro 16 blocks

At first the cows took down the 250 lb. blocks at the rate of two every 10 days, then stabilized at four blocks per month. Tony mentions that he has always had a “lot of trouble” with Displaced Abomasums (DA) in his herd but since starting with SweetPro blocks there has not been a single reoccurrence. The cows also had sore feet but that situation is turning around. Cows that couldn’t move without dragging a leg are now walking better.

For their heifers, bred-heifers and dry cows, the Hipkins’ feed SweetPro Calver/Breeder Dry Cow blocks. Twenty-eight cows will finish a block every 7 days. Additionally, the calves in hutches receive a daily ration of SweetPro’s Fresh Start bagged feed alongside their milk-replacer. Fresh Start was originally designed as a dairy lactation supplement but it is great for the calves as well.

Calves on milk-replacer and Fresh Start

Tony and Connie were impressed by what they were seeing in the herd while on SweetPro blocks but in order to convince themselves that it was SweetPro making the difference, they decided to take the cows off the blocks for a 30 day test period. In two weeks they lost 1,000 lbs of milk production. Tony said it was, “like they fell off the end of the earth.” So they quickly put the cows back on the SweetPro blocks and milk production came right back up. Tony says that he will not be without the blocks again!

Wentworth Bros. dairy farm. 
Operated by Tony and Connie Hipkins (7.74 mb video download)

• New "Tool" nets $110 more per calf - Jan.1996
• Faster Pasture Gains with Tubs - Mar.1997
• Golden Glover - Not Your average Cow Puncher - Dec.1997
• Fresh Start for Stress Calves, with Sweet Pro Kaf Starter - June1999
• Straight From The Horse's Mouth! - Jan. 2000
• Heifer Breed-back Improves Sharply With SweetPro Tub - June 2000
• Stressed Calves Never Look Back, with SweetPro¨ Kaf Starter. - Jan./Feb.2001
• Weaning Bigger, Healthier Calves After Year 'round Supplementing with SweetPro¨ Lick Blocks - Sept./Oct.2001
• Breedback and weaning at the 7P - March 2004
• Stalwart Ranch - September 2004
• Dairy Cows recover from DA - March 2005
• A.J. Starr's Story - July 2005
• Milk Production came up and stayed up - August 2005
• Dairy Calves recover and mature faster on Fresh Start - May 2006
• Double O Charolais - June 2006