Minerals are an essential part of any beef cow nutrition program. Minerals play a vital role in almost all metabolic functions, including forage digestion, reproductive performance, the immune system and skeletal growth and development. Inadequate intake of minerals and vitamins during certain critical times of the year can result in reduced forage intake, poor reproductive performance, and reduced calf growth. A lack of minerals can also impair immune function resulting in vaccine failure and lowered resistance to disease. This is especially true during periods of drought when forages are lacking in several important minerals. One of the challenges facing cattle producers is that the symptoms associated with poor mineral intake, or mineral deficiencies, are not easily seen or measured until the problem becomes severe enough to cause disease or even death.
Providing a complete, balanced mineral as a part of your cow’s total nutrition program is an easy, cost-effective way to prevent deficiencies from occurring and to maintain herd health and performance throughout the year. Below is a list of performance benefits that have been associated with proper mineral nutrition in the cow herd. Putting a dollar value on several of those benefits clearly shows that it does not take a large improvement in performance to pay for the cost of the mineral.
BENEFITS TO THE COW
- Higher conception rates & calving %.
A 2% improvement pays for 50% of the mineral cost for entire herd - Cows breed quicker for shorter calving period.
- Fewer calving problems.
- More efficient forage utilization.
- Cows maintain body condition through season.
- Cows produce more milk & wean heavier calves.
Calves from cows receiving mineral are 25-50 pounds heavier at weaning. That will return 120-160% of the annual mineral cost for the whole herd.
BENEFITS TO THE CALF
- Stronger & healthier calves at birth.
- Less sickness, labor expense and medicinal expense
- Better quality Colostrum/Passive Immunity.
- Calves are older, more uniform in age and weight.
$0.07/lb. increase pays for 100% of mineral for the entire herd - Calves perform better over their lifetime due to “Developmental Programming”.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Not providing adequate minerals & vitamins to the beef cow herd may result in lost animal performance and lost revenue. MINERAL DOESN’T COST – IT PAYS!
For more information contact Western Feed Mills or your Western Feed Mills representative.