ST. LOUIS, April 1, 2010 – After years of planning, research and testing, the Purina Horse Feed Business Group announces new Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed now available for purchase at Purina dealers across the U.S.

“We’re very excited about this new formula,” said Purina Equine Nutritionist and Director of Research and New Product Development Dr. Mary Beth Gordon, who formulated and researched the diet. “Purina has been formulating, researching, and
testing equine diets for over 100 years just so our customers can have the finest nutrition for their horses. And we think we have another winner for our customers with Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed.”

Purina has a storied history of researching and testing feeds that support horse performance, health and longevity. In fact, the company’s very first animal feed was a diet formulated for horses and mules unloading cargo at the riverfront in downtown
St. Louis, Missouri in 1894.

“Nobody has done more for the nutritional health of horses than Purina,” remarked Rob Echele, Senior Marketing Manager for the company. “Our founder William Danforth had tremendous vision. He knew nutritional research was key to producing feeds that
made a difference in animals’ lives. And based on the nutritional research we do today, our customers and their animals continue benefiting from that industry-leading vision.”

The company opened their Animal Nutrition Research Center in 1926 and has been performing research trials on equine feeds ever since. This state-of-the-art research facility is located on 1,188 acres of rolling farmland in Gray Summit, Missouri where feed
studies are performed with many species of animals including horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle and swine.

“The Purina Equine Research Unit is where Purina® Strategy® GX Professional horse feed was born in the late 1980’s,” commented Dr. Gordon. “Strategy® horse feed is the best pelleted horse feed in the industry. It really has no match for convenience, quality, value and performance. But we saw a way to create a formula that was even more enticing to a specific segment of owners who wanted a few more nutritional benefits for their horses. And that’s why we came up with Healthy Edge® horse feed.”

With the addition of Healthy Edge® horse feed, there are now two diets under the Strategy brand that horse owners can choose from. “We did considerable amount of qualitative and quantitative market research and learned that there was a specific segment of horse owners who felt they weren’t getting what they wanted from other horse feeds in the marketplace,” commented Echele. “They wanted a diet higher in fat, lower in starch and sugar and a bit lower in protein. They also wanted it under a brand they trust, and no horse feed garners trust quite like Strategy® horse feed.”

Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed is a unique mixture of pellets and patented high-fat Amplify® Nuggets. The pellets provide horses with quality protein including essential amino acids and the Amplify® Nuggets deliver the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids from a unique patented blend of vegetable oils, flaxseed and rice bran. With its 30% fat level, Amplify® Nuggets also help deliver the high fat level many horse owners seek in their equine diets.

The pellet itself is also unique due to a high level of roughage sources inside, including highly fermentable beet pulp. This makes the Strategy® Healthy Edge® formula high in fiber, so horse owners can choose to feed less hay or pasture if they desire. And that can help alleviate financial strain during the tough current economic times.

The research behind Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed is what many would expect from Purina. “We performed considerable product research on Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed,” commented Dr. Gordon. “We started with 18 formulations, trimmed
it down to 3 and then performed over 4,000 feedings at our equine research unit to determine the most favored formula. Then we took that formula out to the field and did 5 scientific field trials across the U.S. involving over 30,000 feedings to confirm the
formulation exceeded our expectations and our customers’ expectations.”

Gordon has a strong mixture of pride and confidence from the research program she leads for Purina. “Among many things, what’s so unique about Purina is we put our formulas to the test in trials using our horses before they ever get to your horse. That way we know the diets are right when our customers buy Purina® equine feeds.”

To learn more about or purchase the new Purina® Strategy® Healthy Edge® horse feed, please visit Temple or Belton Feed & Supply. Temple Feed & Supply is located at 305 S. 2nd Street in downtown Temple, and Belton Feed & Supply is located at 410 E. 2nd Ave. in downtown Belton.

Anyone who has taken the time to speak with us at Temple or Belton Feed & Supply knows that we are big supporters of the Purina brand Sup-R-Lix liquid feed – it’s the only brand that we carry. In a competitive feed market, though, we also know that the price per ton of Sup-R-Lix 2HL is higher than conventional liquid. I really took the time the other day to sit down with Purina’s research and run the numbers myself. I would like to share a few key points that I think will help convince you that Purina Sup-R-Lix is the best brand out there for the health of your cattle and the health of your pocketbook!

Do the math! Sup-R-Lix is CHEAPER than competitive liquids – even ones that are $120 less per ton!

A recent study of the effects of Sup-R-Lix fed to 18,000 cows really caught my attention – not only for the sheer volume of head tested, but also for the definitive results. The competitive liquid that had been used historically was $120 less per ton. Sup-R-Lix was then fed over the course of 174 days to the worst division, and the results were astounding!

Cattle on the competitive liquid ate an average of 870 lbs., while cattle on Sup-R-Lix ate 499# – 43% less! Even with the competitive liquid being $120 cheaper, the ranch owner saw significant savings on Sup-R-Lix. Using sample prices:

Another factor that increased the ranch owner’s bottom line was the increase in pregnancy rates on Sup-R-Lix vs. conventional liquid. On the conventional liquid, pregnancy rates were 73%. On Sup-R-Lix, rates increased to 86%! All in all, the switch to Sup-R-Lix put $65 per head back into the ranch owner’s pocket.

See an even bigger bottom line by feeding Sup-R-Lix Year-Round
I was also impressed by all the studies that I read about the benefits of feeding Sup-R-Lix year-round. For instance, here are the results of a study over six years:

As you can see, consumption rates per head per day dropped by more than half when fed year-round. The total amount fed per year also dropped significantly on average, saving you money in the long run. And the benefits of feeding Sup-R-Lix year-round spread beyond just lower consumption rates. Data showed the following improvement with year-round supplementation:

• Increase in weaning weights
• Increase in conception rates
• Increase in pre-calving body weight
• Increase in body condition scores

As you can see, Sup-R-Lix has consistently proven to be the best liquid feed option for your herd, and is the most cost-effective brand available. Call us today for more information and to get started!