ZorbiSan® Bedding Conditioner - GEA Farm Technologies

ZorbiSan ® Bedding Conditioner
High absorbency bedding treatment
for dairy applications
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Unique pH-lowering absorbent.
Keeps cows cleaner and drier, improving cow comfort and milk quality.
Extends life of bedding and reduces odors.
For use in free stalls, calf hutches and maternity pens.
GEA Farm Services | WestfaliaSurge

Clean cows = quality milk
Dirty bedding = dirty cows
You do everything possible inside the parlor to protect milk
quality. But even with all your precautions, the threat of
environmental mastitis keeps growing each year.
The biggest factor contributing to environmental mastitis is
wet, dirty bedding. Dirty stalls continually expose cows to
disease-causing germs. Research has proven that cleaner
cows mean cleaner milk.*
*University of Minnesota, Bedding and Bacteria, 2001.
Profile of environmental mastitis
The cost of environmental mastitis
A 100-cow dairy with a SCC of 250,000 will still average 36 cases of environmental mastitis per year or 3 cases per
month. Lactating cows are more susceptible for environmental mastitis. A single quarter infected for one lactation
may reduce milk production by 10-12%.
Cost of environmental mastitis per clinical case
11%
2% 3%
51%
33%
Source: G.Y. Miller, 1993, Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, 202:1230.
2 | GEA Farm Technologies

Primary sources of environmental bacteria
No matter how clean you keep your parlor, your cows are surrounded by mastitis-causing bacteria in bedding, manure,
soil and contaminated water.
“Although many organic bedding materials have relatively few mastitis pathogens prior to use, the pathogen
populations often increase 10,000 fold within a few hours when used as bedding. Fresh bedding tends to absorb
moisture from the cow’s environment for use by the great number of bacteria that are constantly present in manure and
soiled bedding.”*
*Source: Risk Factors Associated With Environmental Mastitis, J.S. Hogan and K.L. Smith, Ohio State University.
E. coli Klebsiella
Streptococcus uberis
Prevention is the key
It’s much more economical to reduce the
number of bacteria before they have a chance
to enter the teat canal. This requires a total
management approach:
• Keeping the cow’s environment as clean
and dry as possible.
• Reducing exposure to manure, mud and
pools of stagnant water.
• Keeping dry cows as clean and dry
as possible.
• Keeping calving areas clean and dry.
• Use free stalls designed for improved
sanitation and maintain them properly.
Source: Mastitis and its Control, William L. Crist,
Robert J. Harmon, Joe O’Leary, and A. Jack McAllister.
The right choice. | 3

ZorbiSan bedding conditioner
ZorbiSan protects cows where they spend most of their time
ZorbiSan bedding conditioner
helps keep cows and calves that
are in free stalls, calf hutches
and maternity pens cleaner and
drier. By reducing moisture,
there is less bacterial exposure
to teat ends, which can
improve milk quality.
Evaluation of a standard freestall
Colony Forming Units (CFUs):
Front CFUs Middle CFUs Back CFUs
2,428,000
35,150,000
46,003,752
Bacteria is at its worst in the
most important area of the
freestall — the back, where the
cow’s udder comes in contact.
Apply ZorbiSan to the back 1/3
of the freestall to keep cows
cleaner and drier.
Source: Managing Cow Environment for Milk Quality and
Animal Health, Kansas State University, Feb. 2004.
ZorbiSan absorbs more moisture to keep cows cleaner
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
On-farm trial (untreated vs. ZorbiSan)
Bedding treatment effect in sawdust bedding
100
80
60
40
20
0
Without a bedding conditioner (untreated), bedding is more susceptible to
moisture and manure. The absorbency of ZorbiSan greatly reduces the
wetness in the bedding that can lead to bacterial exposure on the teats
(tested after one day in sawdust bedding).
In research trials, ZorbiSan was so absorbent that it reduced the moisture
and manure in sawdust bedding by 75% vs. only a 25% reduction for the
leading competitor’s product.
The highly absorbent formula soaks up wetness caused by
manure and urine in the bedding, keeping cows cleaner
and drier. ZorbiSan absorbs up to 15 times more moisture
than the leading competitor’s product and nearly 10 times
more than lime.
100
80
60
40
20
ZorbiSan reduces ammonia odor —
Because the low pH formulation reacts with ammonia,
ZorbiSan helps reduce odors. The reduction of ammonia
odor not only creates a more pleasant environment for
workers, it also lets cows and calves breathe easier. Less
irritation to nasal passages improves resistance to germs.
ZorbiSan extends bedding life —
Through moisture absorption, ZorbiSan extends the life
of bedding, therefore reducing bedding usage, which
saves labor and money.
0
Test performed in a humidity chamber at 95% relative humidity and 85°F (29°C).
4 | GEA Farm Technologies

How to use ZorbiSan
Bedding material
ZorbiSan is compatible with most bedding material used
on dairies, including straw, wood shavings, sawdust, sand,
corn cobs or stalks, oat or sunflower hulls and recycled paper.
ZorbiSan is not dusty and does not cake like lime and other
powder-like bedding treatments.
Application
Usage rates may vary depending on particular
management and conditions. Before using this
product, read and understand the Material Safety
Data Sheet (MSDS). ZorbiSan should only be applied
in properly ventilated dairy facilities.
Freestalls/mats Maternity or hospital pens Calf hutches or pens
One-time base coat
— before first
application of
bedding material
onto bare surface
Apply 16 oz. (448g) on a
cleaned stall or mattress.
Apply to back 1/3 of stall.
Then 5 oz. (140g) on top of
new bedding.
Apply 16 oz. (448g) per every
50 sq. feet (4.6 sq. meters)
of pen space onto cleaned
surface.
Then 5 oz. (140g) on top of
new bedding.
Apply 10 oz. (280g) per calf
onto cleaned hutch or
pen surface.
Then 6 oz. (168g) per calf on
top of new bedding.
Maintenance
5 oz. (140g) dose, two times per
stall per week, to back 1/3 of
stall.
8 oz. (224g) dose per cow,
two times per week.
6 oz. (168g) dose per calf,
two times per week.
Whenever replacing entire bedding pack, simply repeat both the base coat and maintenance directions above.
Storage
Store product in a clean, dry environment to avoid getting wet
when not in use. Close pail after use.
The right choice. | 5

ZorbiSan Tools for Success
Applying ZorbiSan
There are several tools available from your GEA Farm
Technologies dealer to apply ZorbiSan quickly and
accurately.
For the freestalls, you can make application accurate and
labor-efficient with our ZorbiSan Freestall Applicator, that
you can attach to an ATV. This was developed especially
for applying ZorbiSan on larger farms. It has a 100-lb.
capacity and fits most ATVs with a rear luggage rack.
Features include a heavy-duty high torque 12 vdc. motor,
easy-adjust dispensing lever and gauge, and an adjustable
stainless deflector and stainless shroud for accurate
application to the desired location. A video demonstration
is available from your dealer.
For smaller applications, a handheld spreader is available.
It is hand cranked and comes with five settings for the
slide opening, to provide very convenient dial-rate control
through use of the hand trigger.
Measuring the Success of ZorbiSan on your Dairy
There is further University research available on ZorbiSan’s
effectiveness, in addition to the charts shown on the
previous page. Contact your dealer for more information.
To measure the success of ZorbiSan use on your dairy,
bedding cultures can be a very useful tool. Your dealer has
a bedding sample kit available with all the items needed to
collect and send in a bedding sample. This will make
collecting and sending your bedding samples to the lab
easy and convenient. In the U.S., GEA Farm Technologies
works in partnership with the University of Minnesota Lab
for Udder Health to receive the bedding sample and
provide a bedding culture report.
Taking a bedding sample from your freestalls or pens
before using ZorbiSan provides a great benchmark to
determine the current condition of your bedding. Then,
by sending in another sample several weeks after you start
using ZorbiSan, you can see the improvement in real
numbers.
Your dealer can help you with this process. This will allow
you to see the proof that ZorbiSan works! There may be
no better way to prove the benefits of ZorbiSan than with
these direct numbers, individualized for your dairy.
6 | GEA Farm Technologies

sub-clinicals. The ZorbiSan ATV freestall spreader allows us
Before
Example
1
Before
Total
8, 402, 500 col/ml
Example 2
Total
26, 000, 000 col/ml
After
Total
36, 075 col/ml
After
Total
63, 000 col/ml
Testimonials
“We started using ZorbiSan in our new freestall facility.
In the past, we have consistently run high counts in the
late fall and winter months. This is the first time we have
ever had counts this low. We dropped from 440,000 to
245,000 SCC and the freestalls are staying much drier.
We’re even using less sand bedding than before. ZorbiSan
is a benefit to us and to the cows. We also see a benefit to
ZorbiSan in the calf hutches. Calf health is vital to our
expansion project, and with ZorbiSan, we have seen calf
health improve.”
95-cow herd, Missouri
“I liked ZorbiSan better than Sani-Bed. It dried better and
was easier to spread. I like the texture and non-dusty
nature, too. ZorbiSan seemed to reduce my herd’s SCC
and it also reduced the odor of the bedding.”
100-cow herd, Wisconsin
“We’ve been incorporating ZorbiSan into our bedding
management program in the freestalls and hospital /
maternity pens. The absorbency of ZorbiSan is fast acting
and bedding usage has been reduced.Our SCC has
dropped from 360,000 to 222,000. We are very pleased
with the performance, especially in how it has reduced our
Use ZorbiSan as directed to protect your cows
where they spend the most time. You’ll have
cleaner, more comfortable cows. Available only
from your GEA Farm Technologies dealer.
to treat our 300-cow stall barn efficiently and accurately.”
300-cow herd, Nebraska
The right choice. | 7

GEA Farm Technologies
The right choice.
GEA Farm Technologies
GEA Farm Technologies, Inc.
1880 Country Farm Drive, Naperville, IL 60563 USA
Toll Free: 1.877.WS.DAIRY
www.gea-farmtechnologies.us
GEA Farm Technologies
GEA WestfaliaSurge Canada Co.
8-60 Bristol Rd. E., Suite #519 Mississauga, ON L4Z 3K8
Toll Free: 1.877.WS.DAIRY
www.gea-farmtechnologies.ca
7751-1000-494 (pkg. of 20) (Rev. 04-12)