With Agriculture, you can count on change, uncertainty, challenge, risk and opportunity. It’s only 5 months from 2017 when the new Veterinary Feed Directive becomes law of the land. This directive/ruling will regulate the feeding of Antibiotics in food animals giving oversight to veterinarians and has been well described in previous blogs by my colleagues.
A supplement strategy for post breeding: Part 2
Very few heifers bred late or what would be deemed the third heat cycle, meaning most that did not breed AI were bred in the second heat cycle by clean up bulls. This was a marked improvement over previous years on a different mineral program, and supported our theory going into the demonstration that with better nutrition post AI breeding, we could perhaps achieve better embryonic survival once heifers went to grass and better clean up breeding thereafter.
A supplement strategy for post breeding: Part 1
Wow, time flies! March 21st was the official first day of spring, or was it? I live in Nebraska and my least favorite season of the year is spring; not because of all the new beginnings or starts, but because of Mother Nature’s Biopolar personality this time of year. I read a Facebook post this morning from a Sandhills Ranch woman whose family I worked for in my youth. She commented on how the temperature the morning of March 21st was in the single digits, highs in two days would be in the mid 70’s and then a snowstorm was predicted the following day. This is what I don’t like about spring; you never know what you’re going to get.
Winter supplementation in a spring calving herd
Winter supplementation in a spring calving herd; If you’re supplementing now, you’re applying a lot of research.
CRYSTALYX: A reflection on the past and three things that stood out in 2015
The time between Christmas and the New Year is a special time of the year. All the festivities surrounding Christmas are still being celebrated and the preparation for the end of the year or the New Year, however you view it, is fully at hand. It’s normally a time for families to get together and often reminisce about the past year(s).
CRYSTALYX and the new VFD rules
By now, more and more producers are learning about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) that will bring about a change in regulating feed-through antibiotics. There’s been a lot of recent popular press and blog chatter on this subject. The intent of the rule, now finalized, isn’t really that different from when it was introduced and debated at the Food and Drug Administration in 2009. The industry comment period has resulting in some changes related to documentation. The final rules have been published this year (June), and have already taken affect for some drugs and more (the main ones concerned in cattle feeds) will go into effect on January 1, 2017.
Don't skimp on nutrition
Well, there’s a lot of news right now about the volatility in the cattle markets. Obviously a lot of it is uncomfortable) to read or listen to, and it makes for real spirited or depressing conversation at the corner café (pick your emotion). Still, it’s always best to keep a positive frame of mind and be looking at opportunities. The last time calves sold for $2.00, people were pretty doggone happy about it. Now, I’m not trying to say that we should be happy with a cattle market that’s lost $50/Cwt in a very short period of time but I am saying that the cow-calf business is still alive and well.
Don’t gamble: The cost of no supplement
I was recently in Las Vegas for an event with a long time distributor of CRYSTALYX® and valuable customer. I’ve been to Las Vegas several times and it is a fun place. Entertainment and gambling as we know is what makes money in Las Vegas. I often hear stories from people who brag about how much money they make gambling, but they are only the lucky few. If gambling paid for the gambler, Vegas wouldn’t have much to offer.
CRYSTALYX categories and programs: An overview of the 2014-2015 season
Late in the summer of 2014, CRYSTALYX® Brand Supplements came with a new launch, or better described, a new approach of product programs. There really wasn’t any new product, except for one; rather a reformulation of a few and a “categorical” look at different programs. We call this our Economy, Balanced and Premium categories. There were a few blogs written in the latter half of 2014 that mentioned these product categories so I won’t elaborate on the details of each.
Breeding programs and CRYSTALYX
The success of the CRYSTALYX® Breed-Up® family of products has been significant, and for a lot of reasons. One reason is that the Breed-Up® line provides twice the required trace minerals and vitamins for beef cattle at typical intake levels, and this makes sense to provide during the last trimester of pregnancy, and in early lactation when a cow’s nutrient requirements are the highest. Continuing a high plane of nutrition is important up to and “through the breeding season.” But just when is the breeding season through? Is it once the animal is bred; is it 45 days, 60 days? Nutrition post breeding is just as critical, if not more depending on management, types of feedstuffs/forages and/or grazing systems.
