Mineral deficiencies among pasture forages is a widespread problem across the whole country. Beef cattle require a number of dietary minerals for body maintenance, growth and reproduction.
A national study done by Utah’s State Diagnostic Lab has found that 53% to 70% of cattle were short on important dietary minerals.
They also found that there was a need to supplement in every state. So how do you know if you need to supplement, here are some things to consider:
Though minerals take up a small portion of a cow’s overall diet they control many vital functions and can impact everything. A complete mineral should contain the proper balance of all 14 essential cattle minerals.
Cattle reproduction and nervous system function as well as feed efficiency and overall herd health can be impacted.
When developing a solid mineral plan there are 3 factors to consider.
Let’s say there was a way that you
could make money come out of the ground, would you be interested? Of course you would be interested.
And what if it could reduce or even eliminate your cattle’s down time, would that be something you would be interested in? Well using the right kind of supplement program will do both for you.
Using the right kind of supplement program could do that and so much more. The right kind of supplement program will correctly fill in the nutrition gaps from your forages which will lead to healthier cattle.
But how do you know if the supplement program you are using is the right one for your operation? To determine what program is right for you there are some things to consider.
Calving season is one of the busiest times of year for a cattle producer. It is when all the work that you have put in throughout the year will begin to pay off. Many producers have already started with their calving season with others starting theirs soon.
What happens during this time can have an impact on the number of live healthy calves that you will have. Also getting your calves on a good start can play a part on their lifetime performance. Since this is where the cow/calf producers makes his living it is best to do this right.
With the busyness there are many things that can go wrong. It is always a good idea to have a plan in place in order to make the season run smoothly with less headaches. The last thing that you want is to be caught off guard by nasty winter weather and have to be scrambling for supplies.
Agriculture word search book
You might be a rancher if joke book
$7.99
I love my wife
$22.99
Farm Strong
$22.99
Hay There
$22.99
© 2026 West Texas Livestock Growers
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
