FIELD NOTE:

Alkington Dairy Mineral Case Study

Consistent mineral nutrition at Alkington

We love seeing our clients thrive! Read this feature from the Rural Guardian to see how Marty and Jo Ashby of Alkington use Vitalise to take the guesswork out of herd nutrition.

As written by Claire Inkson, Rural Editor. Published in the Rural Guardian, June 2026.

Marty and Jo Ashby have been farming at Alkington, just out of Fernside, long enough to see the industry change more than once. The 172-hectare milking platform running around 600 cows, didn’t start out that way. Like much of North Canterbury, the turning point came with water.

“When irrigation came in through Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd, that was the game changer,” Ashby says. “We couldn’t have been milking cows here without it.”

The farm is now tracking toward the mid-300,000 kilograms of milk solids this season, but numbers aren’t what he talks about first. It’s the system behind them that matters.

Since moving to an in-shed system using Vitalise, the difference is noticeable. “It’s very rare that we get down cows now. It just takes the guesswork out of it.”

Ashby isn’t one for jumping on every new bit of tech, but he’s not ignoring it either. “We’re not early adopters, but we don’t want to be last,” he says. Allflex collars and auto-drafting have replaced the old routine of tail paint and walking rows to pick heats. Irrigation runs off the phone, backed by soil moisture monitoring.

But he’s clear it doesn’t replace judgement. “It’s information that assists you,” Ashby says. “You still look at the paddock.” It’s a balance between technology and stockmanship, and one he’s deliberate about keeping.

Taking the guesswork out

Where tech has eased pressure in the shed, minerals have done the same at calving. Ashby has been using Vitalise for several years now, delivered through a mineral dispenser attached to the grain auger, alongside calcium, magnesium and rumen support.

The decision came off the back of years dealing with the same issues most dairy farmers face. “At calving time, things can get interesting if you haven’t got your magnesium and calcium right,” he says. Weather plays a part, intake can vary and traditional methods don’t always land where you want them to.

Since moving to an in-shed system using Vitalise, the difference has been noticeable. “It’s very rare that we get down cows now,” Ashby says. “It just takes the guesswork out of it.”

Rain or shine, the cows are getting what they need every day. Later in the season, rumen support is added to keep things ticking over. It’s not complicated, but it’s consistent. And that’s the point.

Dairy herd eating Vitalise mineral pellets in shed

Keeping perspective

After more than 30 years in dairy, Ashby has seen enough cycles to know not to get carried away.

“We’ve got no development plans right now but while there are no opportunities in front of us at the moment, you can’t stop looking for them. Sometimes you’ve just got to create an opportunity” he says. That same grounded approach runs through everything at Alkington.

If you’d like to be sure exactly what minerals your herd is getting, have a look at our popular blends or chat to us about a custom blend on 0508 678 464.

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