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"We've stayed with CRYSTALYX® and have had minimal calving and health issues.
Schroeder Ranch
Wessington Springs, South Dakota
Having "Balance" in cattle performance and
genetics is one major goal for the Schroeder
Ranch. Located near Wessington Springs, S.D., the
ranch has been raising purebred Gelbvieh cattle
since 1993. Through the years, the herds'
genetics have been improved with quality
purchases from other breeders, and by utilizing
some of the latest technology such as ultra sound
scanning and DNA tenderness testing. These
quality cattle are offered for sale at the annual
production sale each spring. For more information
visit: www.schroedercattle.com.
CRYSTAL-PHOS® has been consistently used for
five years as the main mineral program for all
cattle on the ranch, purebred and commercial.
Steve Schroeder, owner, said they first
began using CRYSTAL-PHOS® out of convenience.
"We like the fact that it's less labor and we didn't
like feeding equipment getting damaged or broken.
We've tried a lot of other supplement programs,"
says Steve.
Nutrition programs, or the lack of them, in a beef
cattle operation can sometimes be best appraised
over the long term. At the Schroeder Ranch, since
using CRYSTAL-PHOS®, health issues at calving
have been minimal, and breeding characteristics
(conception rates) have improved by 3-4% over
time. "Cattle stay in good condition, have good
hair coat, and at calving we haven't cleaned a cow
in 3-4 years. We attribute much success to good
genetics and management, as well as our mineral
program." With a volatile cattle market and input costs being
more challenging to manage, certain nutritional
programs can be harshly scrutinized or even cut
drastically. "Some ranches have cut back and
likely have had more problems," says Steve.
"We've stayed with CRYSTALYX® and have had
minimal calving and health issues."
CRYSTAL-PHOS® is a unique CRYSTALYX®
supplement in itself. Most people think of
CRYSTALYX® as being a protein supplement only,
but CRYSTAL-PHOS® is formulated and fed as a
mineral supplement and has some real world
advantages of feeding. It's labor friendly and comes
with its own feeder (steel barrel) or in the
BioBarrel® (biodegradable single trip container).
According to Schroeder's herdsman, Dustin
Tolsma, year round feeding consumption averages
3-4 ounces with the higher end being around
calving and breeding and the lower end during the
summer months.
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