I once heard a salesman that fully understood the benefits of using CRYSTALYX® Brigade® on weaned, stressed calves, say, “There are only two things wrong with Brigade®… #1. It does not cost enough and. #2. It is too easy. I’ll likely never forget that statement, as it has a lot of truth in it, and it provides insight in to human nature. Many times we have an internal, or gut feeling that if something is easy – then it may not be the best solution. Same goes for the cost of something; generally, the more you spend the better product or response you get. I could at this point launch into why you should be using Brigade® this fall, but I will leave that topic to one of my associates.
Let CRYSTALYX® Help Control Flies
Who worries about flies in September?
Here is where I’m headed today: I was driving through a pasture a while back, and I noticed that some of the cattle in the pasture had a rough hair coat, and most all were bunched up in a corner of the pasture swatting flies. Pretty typical scene when flies are an issue. I have heard a number of our customers talk about using one of our CRYSTALYX® fly control products. Many times they say they know it is working, because their cattle are spread out grazing, during the day, while the neighbor’s cattle are all bunched up, swatting and kicking at flies. It is always nice to have a really good visual indicator that a product is working. But why talk about flies when a killing frost is just weeks away?
Let’s not worry about flies until a bog in March
As I looked at those bunched up cows with a rough hair coat, and flies circling around them, I thought, this is the time to show customers what a good fly control mineral supplement can do for your herd. We generally wait until March and talk about fly control for the coming year. By the time April or May arrives, other things may have taken priority and the fly control idea gets forgotten.
What do your cows look like right now?
Do you have many flies buzzing around you herd right now? Is their hair coat still a little rough? If so, I hope you can remember that image next spring when we again begin to talk about fly control and a summer mineral program.
It’s inexpensive
A mineral program will usually cost between 10 and 18 cents a day. Fly control would add another 2-3 cents a day. For 1 cow, fly control for 150 days would be $4.50, at 3 cents a day. For that $4.50, you could have a calf that is 20 to 30 pounds heavier. The supplemental nutrition provided by the mineral program can result in higher conception rates, and can help get your cows to conceive earlier in the breeding season. This will also result in heavier calves next year.
It is just too easy
CRYSTALYX® mineral supplements with fly control are an easy and inexpensive way to provide 24/7 supplemental nutrition and fly control to your herd. A 250-pound barrel will supplement 30 cows for 4 weeks. CRYSTALYX® brand supplements are available with Rabon®, Altosid® IGR or Clarifly® to control flies on grazing animals. Both mineral and protein formulations are available.
How good is your memory?
Remember what your cows look like today. You can use the CRYSTALYX® Body Condition Score app to help with this. If they look great – OK, if there is room for improvement, let’s remember that next spring.
Download your CRYSTALYX® BCS App Today!
Rabon® is a registered trademark of Bayer Animal Health; Altosid® IGR & ClariFly® are registered trademarks of Welmark International
