Now is the time to start planning your winter-feeding program. Adequate nutrition is vital for both the calf and cow in terms of health and productivity. Thin cows are harder to breed back; produce less milk and wean lighter calves. However, on the flip side, it is important to supplement only what is necessary without wasting feed or money in order to remain profitable.

General Cattle Nutrition

In order to make informed decisions regarding supplements, it is necessary to understand the basics of cattle nutrition. Cattle require proper amounts of energy, protein, minerals, vitamins and water in order to thrive and achieve maximum production and efficiency.

Energy is the first limiting nutrient in a cow’s diet and represents a major portion of a cow’s needs. Energy is the “fuel” that allows a cow to function. Energy needs are typically expressed in terms of total digestible nutrients (TDN). Most of the energy needs of cattle are met through the fermentation of forages and roughages in the rumen. Other energy sources include carbohydrates (primarily supplied by grains), sugars (from sources such as molasses) and fats.

Protein is composed of amino acids, which the body uses as “building blocks” for body tissues. In ruminants, the bacteria and protozoa in the rumen actually digest forage protein and convert it into microbial protein. These microorganisms are capable of converting non-protein sources of nitrogen (NPN) such as urea, into the same microbial protein under normal conditions. Since the cow cannot differentiate between the microbial protein produced from natural forages and that produced from NPN, urea is often added as a way of economically increasing effective protein levels in supplements.

Minerals and vitamins are also essential to proper nutrition. Since mineral and vitamins levels vary in forages and feeds, always provide free choice access to a complete mineral and vitamin supplement containing salt to avoid deficiencies in your cattle. Avoid use of plain white salt blocks or trace mineralized salt blocks.

Water is often overlooked as a nutrient but is vitally important for cattle nutrition. Clean water is most important to young, growing calves. Inadequate water consumption will limit feed intake and reduce growth and performance.

How Do I Know if I Need a Supplement?

During winter months, most cattle producers rely primarily on hay as their main feed source. Good to high quality hay is an excellent feed source for cattle. However, hay quality varies greatly from year to year or even cutting to cutting. Environmental factors adversely affects hay quality, as well as man-made factors like improper fertilization and harvesting.

Because hay represents such a large portion of a cow’s diet and quality varies so much, it is strongly recommended that you chemically analyze your hay source(s) for nutritional content. This service is modestly priced and will save you money in the long run. By testing your hay, you will know its exact nutritional content and will allow you to make better management decisions. Knowing the nutritional content of your hay will allow you to more efficiently allot hay according to cattle needs. Knowledge of forage nutritional content will also allow you to save money by purchasing the correct supplements to meet the needs of your cattle – no more, no less.

In honor of Farm Safety Month, I want to touch on a topic that should be near and dear to us all--food safety.  As livestock producers, we need to remember that in the end we are producing human food.  In doing so, it is our responsibility to carefully adhere to all guidelines regarding drugs and pesticides used in our animals.  Not doing so could put the safety of the food we are producing in jeopardy. Additionally, the negative publicity generated could negatively affect the market for everyone for months or even years.

Understand that there are a very limited number of drugs and pesticides cleared for use in livestock, with no new ones coming down the pipeline in the near future.  With this in mind, we need to use those currently in our arsenal as judiciously as possible to prevent unintended contamination of meat, milk or eggs or the development of resistance to said drugs or pesticides.

Using feed-through drugs and pesticides safely:

1.     Choose a drug or pesticide that is labeled for efficacy against the specific disease or parasite for which you require. For instance do not assume that all deworming drugs are effective against all of the various species of worms. Do research to find which are effective against the target disease organism.

2.     Consult a veterinarian before giving livestock multiple drugs and/or pesticides, especially from different sources (ie. medicated feed, medicated mineral and injectable drugs). There could be negative interactions for either the animal or the resulting human food product for which you are unaware.

3.     Carefully read and follow the label directions concerning dosage amount, dosage length and withdrawal times.  If the label says to administer for 5 days, don’t stop at 3. On the flip side, don’t feed medicated feed when it is not needed.

4.     Monitor intake of medicated feed or supplements to assure that livestock are consuming the proper dosage of active ingredient. While it is impossible to accurately measure individual intake, you can get a pretty good average by measuring intake for the whole herd in a given time period and dividing by the number of animals fed. If the intake does not match expected intake rates, make management changes such as increasing or decreasing the number of blocks offered.  Consult your feed manufacturer for more information on how to increase or decrease daily intake.

5.     Be sure to consult a knowledgeable veterinarian prior to feeding any product containing drugs or pesticides in an off-label manner for the first time. Various species metabolize and react to active ingredients differently. For instance, Bovatec^® (lasalocid) is safe for use in cattle and sheep, but is dangerous for use in horses.  

6.     If you are still in doubt after doing all of the above, contact the technical department of the feed or drug manufacturer and they can give you information to help assist you in your decision making process.

Remember, like it or not, the public at large watches what we do. If we want to avoid burdensome oversight and regulations, we need govern ourselves to use available drugs and pesticides safely and effectively.

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to attend the Joint Annual Meetings for the American Society of Animal Scientists. One of the hot topics was the debate on cow size and management. 

Over the past 3 decades the predominant measure of cow efficiency has been pounds of beef produced per beef cow. This figure has increased notably in this time. Between 1975 and 2005 carcass weights for steers and heifers have increased 144 and 194 pounds, respectively¹.  In attaining these heavier carcass weights, the face of the U.S. beef breeding herd has changed. Average live weights for mature cows and bulls have increased to 1,350 and 1,769 pounds, respectively, in 2005 from 1,047 and 1,340 pounds, respectively, in 1975¹.  At the same time, cows were selected for increased milk production along with increased mature weight. This increased the average beef cow’s dry matter requirement by roughly 25%¹.

The debate hinges on whether we should be adapting the environment to sustain these larger cattle, or if we should be choosing different genetic types to better conform to differing environments. Should we be choosing for cattle that are better adapted to limited resources with minimal inputs? In many instances this choice would lead to a smaller mature cow size and lowered milk production. Rising grain prices and an overall reduction in available grazing lands make sustaining today’s current production levels with the current genetic base a challenge.

How will you be dealing with the rising cost of harvested and supplemental feed? Do you have any plans to decrease the overall mature size of your cow herd?

¹ A historical perspective on the influence of the beef industry on mature cow size. B. McMurry. J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 89, E-Suppl. 1. p. 161. 2011.

There is a lot of confusion regarding copper and sheep. Many have been told for years to steer clear of copper in sheep feeds and rations no matter what. However, the truth is a little less black and white than that.

Sheep actually have a daily copper requirement. Copper is essential for a variety of key systems in the body and is needed for immunity, reproduction and growth. Copper plays a vital role in wool production, stress resistance and hoof integrity. Copper deficient sheep have steely wool that is lacking in crimp and tensile strength. Lambs born to copper deficient ewes may experience congenital nervous disease. These sway back lambs may have difficulty standing or walking and may die due to inability to nurse.

So if sheep actually NEED copper, why have producers been told to avoid it all of these years? The answer is that sheep, particularly wool breeds, have difficulty excreting excess copper. As such, they are very susceptible to copper toxicity if excess copper is ingested.

Occasionally, sheep supplements or feeds may have copper listed on the guaranteed analysis due to regulatory requirements. Because copper is a naturally occurring element in soils, common feedstuffs contain a low level of copper—what we call “background” levels. Current rules outlined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) state that copper minimum and maximum levels are required on labels for sheep or goat products where the amount of copper in the formula is at, or exceeds, 20 ppm.

In simplistic terms this means that the background levels of copper are at 20 mg per 2.2 lb of product (9 mg copper per pound) or greater. When a formula contains less than 20 ppm copper, no copper guarantee is required and thus those labels will look different than those of formulas containing 20 ppm copper or greater. To give you a point of reference, the copper concentration would need to be at 700 ppm for a 1 oz intake or at 175 ppm for a 4 oz intake to approach what is commonly accepted as toxic levels for sheep.

The take-home message from all of this is that if a commercial product is legally labeled for use in sheep, it is safe for use in sheep-- whether or not copper is listed on the label. If you have questions, as always, call the manufacturer for clarification.

As we near the end of the winter feeding period, sometimes we have to make tough choices regarding use of moldy hay. Horses and other non-ruminants are most susceptible to mold toxicity and should not be fed moldy hay except under the most dire situations.

Ruminants are protected to some extent because the rumen destroys most mycotoxins, but they are still susceptible to chronic symptoms, especially pregnant animals and those under stress.  We can all agree that feeding moldy hay is not most desirable, but what can you do if it is your only option?

The first strategy is to dilute the mold with “clean” feed. In the absence of good quality hay, high fiber feedstuffs such as soyhull pellets, dried distillers grains or baled corn stover can help your livestock eat less of the offending moldy hay. Another strategy is to inspect all hay and feed the worst hay to the least susceptible animals (mature male ruminants, open mature female ruminants). Another strategy is to use temporary fencing to take advantage of new spring growth in non-pasture areas to reduce reliance on hay. It also goes without saying that well-fed livestock that are not lacking in protein, energy, minerals or vitamins in their diet will be much more capable of withstanding a temporary encounter with mycotoxins than animals that are lacking.

Mold causes problems in two main ways, through spores or mycotoxins. Spores can cause respiratory problems when breathed in, especially for horses. Mycotoxins negatively affect a variety of systems in the body. Most molds are harmless and do not produce m

ycotoxins; however, when feeding moldly hay one must assume that mycotoxins could be present and watch carefully for the following symptoms:
    *reduced feed intake or feed refusal
    *diarrhea
    *lowered fertility and abortions
    *lethargy and increased morbidity
    *suppressed immune system leading to lack of response to medications and vaccinations

Have you faced a similar situation in your livestock operation this winter? If so, let us know how you dealt with it.