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In one of his recent blogs, Dan Colling explained the “large” benefit that you can get from a “small” amount of protein supplement on dry or mature pastures.

This week I’d like to talk about another benefit of self-fed protein supplements. While this benefit of CRYSTALYX^® does impact the nutritional status of your herd, it is primarily a behavioral modification of your cattle.

We have known for years that cattle will seek out palatable supplements, and even salt, in pastures.  Research by Dr. Derek Bailey at Havre, MT, has actually quantified this effect. It shows low-moisture block (LMB) supplements, like CRYSTALYX^®, to be much more effective than salt alone at luring cattle to underutilized areas of pastures.

From the table below, we can see that grazing cattle spent a larger percentage of their total time within 100, 400 and 600 yards of LMB (CRYSTALYX^®) and salt than just salt alone. This difference was found to be statistically significant.

During periods of drought, or when grasses naturally mature (as with stockpiled forage) CRYSTALYX^®  can offer you two distinct advantages:

1.) It can increase the digestibility of a low quality forage

2.) It will lure your cattle to the underutilized areas of a pasture where they may not normally travel to. 

During periods of drought, naturally occurring sources of water may dry up. This can leave many pastures with areas that cattle avoid due to lack of water. Research has shown cattle will travel over a mile from a water source, to consume CRYSTALYX^®. While the cattle are there, they will also graze the adjacent forage.

Does your current supplement multi-task? CRYSTALYX^® does. Put the CRYSTALYX^® benefits from nutrition and behavior to work for you.  

CRYSTALYX^® Brand self-fed supplements are an excellent way to maximize your returns from a supplement program that’s available 24/7, while minimizing your investment in time, labor and equipment.

You don’t have to be a weather expert to know that this spring/summer has been plain nuts. From tragic storms and severe flooding to drought, no one is really having an easy time of it. Here in the upper Midwest, we’ve had the range of odd weather for what should be summer, but sometimes feels like early spring. The upside of this crazy weather is that cows have grass up to their bellies or even over their backs. However, tall grass doesn’t have what your cows need.

Cool season grasses, which dominate pastures in the upper Midwest, grew rapidly last month with all the rain and cooler temperatures. This led to pastures and hay getting away from some. Some might not see an issue with grass that is up to the cow’s belly or even over the back. It means there’s plenty to eat, right?

The answer may surprise you. Watch your cattle in that tall grass; where are their heads? Are they eating the tops and seed heads on mature grass? Probably not, it’s more likely that they have their heads down, doing their best to pick out any new growth. As the plant grows taller, it has to re-enforce the stalk to keep it up right. You could compare it to building a sky scraper. You have to have a stronger frame the taller you go. The same holds true for a plant. Structural fibers in the plant ‘harden’ as it grows and matures. These structural fibers are harder for the rumen bugs to digest. Additionally, the increase in the amount of structural fiber in the plant means fewer nutrients on a pound for pound basis compared to younger grass. This means that there are fewer nutrients available to the cow when eating mature, tall grass.

The solutions to tall grass issue are plenty. Haying is a viable option to remove excess growth before it becomes over-mature. Harvested hay can be stored for the winter or sold. Some producers will bush hog pastures to keep the plants in a growth stage. Keeping the grass between 4 and 6 to 8 inches will hold it in the growth stage. Rotational grazing, while management and input intensive, is an excellent tool to utilize all of your grass. Producers have the option of haying paddocks when the grass is growing fast. Supplementing cattle with a protein and mineral supplement is another viable option if mowing or haying isn’t. Research has shown up to a 10% increase in forage utilization when supplementing protein. Providing a supplement which includes minerals, macro and micro, will ensure that your animals aren’t missing anything nutritionally.

CRYSTALYX^® offers a number of protein supplements with complete mineral and vitamin profiles to fit any grazing situation. Proven consistent intakes ensure that your cows will get the nutrients they need every time. Click on the ‘How It Works’ tab above and select Grazing Management to learn more about how CRYSTALYX^® can work for you on your pastures.

The 4th of July Cookout: An American Tradition

As we celebrate the 4^th of July Independence Day and our FREEDOM this week, we should all be mindful that we live in a great country where we still have choices and opportunity.  That is very true for how we choose to produce and market our beef products to the consumer.  We need to have the consumer engaged in making a buying decision based on how they value one type or brand of beef over another.  However, we do not want to confuse the consumer about the safety of one product verses another.  From an industry prospective, cattle producers, feeders, packers and the feed industry need to be engaged in educating our politicians and the consumer about the possible benefit of each option while maintaining the FREEDOM to market these value-added products. If we create confusion, we create fear which could lead to less FREEDOM due to undue regulation.

I believe, the growth in "All Natural" products will continue.  The political wind and the consumer’s lack of interest in researching the true benefit of growth promoting technology have created a fast moving current that is difficult to change.  Many consumers are willing, able and happy to pay for this type of product.    

The organic market will grow, but I believe it will be a very small percentage of the total beef sold.  I base that opinion on simple economics.  The beef industry is seeing grain prices and cost of gain at record highs.  Food cost inflation is the elephant in the room.  The premium that organic products must generate are not feasible for the vast majority of consumers that are seeing the family budget stressed by increased fuel, clothing and food cost.

Traditionally raised beef, using advances in nutrition technology, genetics and animal husbandry needs to be the primary area where the United States of America cattle industry continues to provide the highest quality beef to a growing world population.  We produce more beef with fewer animals and it will be necessary to continually improve our efficiency to provide an economical product to the consumer.  

The 4^th of July holiday is about FREEDOM.  In the cattle industry, we currently have the freedom to position our cattle and beef products in multiple ways that can add value and improve our profit potential.  CRYSTALYX^® Brand Supplements offer a variety of self-fed supplements that allow for increased gains on forage, improve reproductive performance and improved animal health.  Several products will work in most "All Natural" programs.    

Once the bulls have been turned out and your herd has settled into their summer grazing routine, it’s easy to overlook some of the more obvious management clues when monitoring your cow herd.  Although beef cows can be very forgiving at times, it is much more difficult to catch-up if you avoid timely management corrections.  Below are a few summer time management reminders to help you stay on top of your herd and maintain performance that ensures profitable returns.
 
1. Forage availability:  Do your cows have an unlimited supply of forage available for grazing?  Depending upon your grazing system, in most situations a good benchmark is to adhere to the rule of “graze half – leave half.”  If your pastures are beginning to look like a parking lot, you are probably affecting two things; cow and calf performance in addition to future pasture productivity!  Be sure to make timely decisions in moving cattle to new pastures once depleted and/or introduce supplementation programs that maximize forage utilization.  The southern U.S. is currently in a severe drought and forage availability will dictate stocking rates, culling rates and supplement programs that are used to best manage the cow herd.

2. Forage quality:  As temperatures increase and summer moisture conditions diminish, grasses mature more quickly along with a reduction in forage quality.  Protein supplementation is especially helpful when these conditions exist to help maintain both cow and calf performance.  The additional protein should be a good source of ruminally degradable protein in order to maximize microbial fermentation.  The goal is to maximize fiber digestibility that extracts the full energy potential of forage diet.  This is where a little protein can go a long way in maintaining cow weight and body condition.
 
3. Mineral and vitamin supplement access:  Make sure your herd has access to a free-choice mineral and vitamin supplement while on pasture.  Many areas of the U.S. or different seasons of the year, lend themselves to nutrient deficiencies that can limit cow herd reproductive efficiencies or negatively impact cow/calf health or performance.  Some examples can include:

• Copper deficiencies or antagonisms that reduce trace mineral utilization
• Low Magnesium levels in lush spring pastures or forages high in potassium content that interfere with Magnesium utilization can lead to grass Tetany
• Endophyte infected fescue pastures
• Selenium deficient soils
• Low phosphorus forages
• Water sources that are high in sulfates which can interfere with trace mineral absorption
• Other nutrient imbalances or antagonisms from soil, water or forages

 
4. Don’t neglect your mineral/vitamin feeders:  It is extremely easy to let free-choice mineral feeders go empty for extended periods of time.  This causes highly erratic intakes in vitamin and mineral consumption as cattle go without and then over consume when finally given access to fresh mineral.  Consistent mineral absorption is better achieved when consumption is also consistent.  Large amounts of mineral are wasted via excretion when excessive mineral intakes occur.  Make sure free-choice supplements are meeting intake expectations and are available at all times to limit waste and maximize animal performance on pasture.
 
5. Feed-through fly control:  An easy and effective way to manage flies and improve calf weaning weights on pasture is with a feed-through larvacide or insect growth regulator.  Although the specific fly species that are controlled will vary depending upon the product, the principle in delivery is the same for each type.  Animals need consistent delivery of either larvacide or insect growth regulator to keep adult fly populations in check.  This can only be accomplished if the free-choice product that contains these additives is consumed early in the fly season and then consistently provided throughout the fly season without interruption.   It is closely related to the previous discussion on free-choice vitamins and minerals as these are used most often as their method of delivery.  It is also a great opportunity to use a highly palatable product like CRYSTALYX^® low-moisture block supplements because of their ability to provide consistent uniform daily intakes.  If you plan to invest in a feed-through fly control program, be sure to manage intakes for optimal performance.
 
6. Provide a balanced nutrition program:  A balanced nutrition program is a key part of maintaining herd health and productivity.  While pastures provide much of the dietary requirements for the cow herd certain environmental, seasonal or geographical factors can lend themselves to unique health, performance or reproductive challenges.  Most cattlemen will agree that treating cattle on pasture is a labor intense activity that should be avoided whenever possible.  Some common health issues where prevention is surely preferable over treatment include: Frothy Bloat, Grass Tetany, Pink Eye or Foot Rot to name a few.  Genetic and reproductive goals also influence nutritional program inputs as to the level of supplemental nutrition required to meet the production demands specific to your cow herd.  Shorting your herd in nutrient inputs opens the door for these health issues to creep in and chip away at your profitability.
 
Frequently check your cow herd and pasture conditions to be sure they are meeting your production goals.  It is much easier and almost always much more economical to make small, timely adjustments than to wait too long and shift from a preventive mode to a treatment or rescue situation.  Long-term profitability is at the top of the list for herd goals and small investments that maintain productivity usually pay dividends at weaning!