Salt as you may know is one of the important building blocks for cattle. This, along with other minerals, are necessary for cattle to perform at their best.
An interesting thing about salt is that cattle have a natural “urge” to consume it. What this means is that unlike other minerals they will actually seek it out. If for some reason they are not able to find it then they will try to ingest it from other sources. This is when you will see cattle eating odd things such as tree bark, dirt, and even urine.
As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs earlier salt is very important for the overall function of cattle. Along with adding in milk production it will assist with other functions too. These functions are things like reproduction, blood flow, and even sweating. Though I am pretty sure that last one should be pretty obvious.
Having to feed supplements is necessary sometimes in cattle operations. That being said it is not something that most ranchers like to do. Feed costs remain the single largest expense for any cattle producer. The amount really depends on different things but it can easily be half of the total annual expenses.
Hay bale season is in full swing now. It is during this time of year that everyone is out cutting and baling hay for winter. In truth pretty much everyone is more than likely on their second cutting. While everyone is focused on the making the bale part not many are planning for how they will store them.
With summer arriving treating pinkeye is an issue many cattle producers will face. As things get drier it means more dust which means an increase in eye irritants.
A summer pasture can be a producer’s greatest resources for his cattle. When managed correctly it provides all of the nutrients your cattle need going into fall breeding season.
When it comes to minerals people tend to focus only on either spring or fall. It is during these times of the year that cattle go through their highest demands. But just because that is the case it doesn’t mean that you should neglect your cows mineral needs during the rest of the year.
Salt, along with other minerals, are necessary to sustain life in cows. Much like humans they are the essential building blocks for a living being to perform at best.
Pasture thistles are a group of plants that are considered a serious threat to rangelands. Like most weeds they propagate very quickly and choke out any grasses that are growing there.
Treatment protocols are often seen as something used only by feed yards and large stocker operations. People that deal with large numbers of animals at a time.
Creep feeding can be a very useful tool for producers with young calves. This will improve both your bottom line and your overall profitability.
