Traditionally, the use of CRYSTALYX^® supplements has been in fall and winter months with running age beef cows.  This is still where the vast majority of product volume is used but growth within other segments of beef cow production and during spring and summer months has been growing.  Earlier blog articles have described the benefits of using CRYSTALYX^® as a vehicle to deliver not only protein and energy but mineral/vitamin programs in the summer, additives for fly control and growth promotants, etc…

The types of CRYSTALYX^® products could be categorized into about three to five different groups, with the main three being:  Protein, mineral, and specialty supplements.  These would all fit into a year round program per se but simply feeding one or more year round would qualify as year round feeding.  Forage quality and environmental conditions would dictate just what products fit the best.  Below is a chart that illustrates what a year round CRYSTALYX^® program would look like.  This would be typical for a ranch in the Northern or Central Plains states or Rocky Mountain Region.

Cost figures for the above program would be about $100.00 per cow per year.  That may sound like a lot but just think about the cost of all feedstuffs today and what you really return from a supplement program.    Supplements that perform do require an investment.  Doing little or nothing will normally return anything or will reduce performance.  This cost estimate above is also based on typical intakes of CRYSTALYX^® in traditional programs.   In year round programs, it’s been my experience that cattle tend to consume less CRYSTALYX^® thus having lower cost per day figures.

The Benefits of Year Round CRYSTALYX^®

I’ve had the opportunity to work with and get to know Roger Koberstein, a very good Angus producer near Holyoke, CO the past 18 month.  Roger began using CRYSTALYX^® Breed Up^® 28 with BioMos^® just prior to the 2011 spring season with one group of cows.  He used only this supplement and salt through calving, breeding, summer grazing and into fall.  He had excellent rebreeding and calves weaned from this group of cows were 40-50 lbs. heavier than calves from cows on a traditional mineral program. The weight gain alone from these calves more than paid for the CRYSTALYX^® program.   CRYSTALYX^® Breed Up^® 28 is now the year round program on the ranch and fed 365 days per year to all cows.  Overall consumption of Breed Up^® 28 has been lower than typically expected in various forage conditions as well.  This may be due to the fact that cows being offered a year round program are in a more consistent, positive plane of nutrition and will consume supplement more consistently and at lower levels.

I’ve been asked by producers countless times, “which CRYSTALYX^® barrel is the cheapest to use?”  My answer is usually, “the highest priced one.”  What I’m implying here is that some of our best fortified products (like the Breed Up^® 28) are the highest cost and usually are consumed at much lower rates, thus the cost per animal per day is the lowest.  Having consistency in a nutrition program will translate into consistent performance, good herd health and lower overall total cost of production.  Way too often I see programs that are not fed correctly or a started, then stopped and then started again.  This “see-saw” effect of supplementation probably winds up wasting more nutrients.  A supplement program that is not fed or managed correctly is simply a waste of money.

If you like the way CRYSTALYX^® works for your fall/winter program you’ll probably like it in a year round program too.  It doesn’t cost, it pays, and is easy to manage.  Take a closer look.  www.CRYSTALYX.com