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Mineral
supplementation of beef cattle is a common practice. Cattle
do have requirements for minerals and they are a necessary
part of an animal's biological functions. What is often
confusing is what minerals to feed and how much. A discussion
of this type could take up reams of paper, so I would like
to limit this discussion to the most costly mineral or bagged
mineral ingredient we purchase, which is Phosphorus.
Phosphorus levels are commonly higher in grains than in
forages, which is one reason we supplement Phosphorus to
grazing beef cattle. However, not all diets during a cattle's
yearly life cycle have the same Phosphorus amount. Typically,
diets of low quality forages are lower in Phosphorus than
diets of high quality forages. If we examine a diet for
a lactating cow using the average nutrient composition Neb
Guide from UNL, a common diet of 10-lbs. Alfalfa, 24-lbs.
Corn-silage, and 15-lbs. Cane hay, would provide a total
of 28 grams of Phosphorus to the cow. A lactating cow of
moderate milking ability's requirement for Phosphorus at
peak lactation from the NRC guidelines is 26 grams per day.
With this diet, the cow's Phosphorus requirement would be
satisfied. Keep in mind we are only looking at a cow's Phosphorus
needs, not her requirement for other macro or trace minerals.
These need to be provided for even if the Phosphorus requirement
is met. It may be that we can save money by feeding a manufactured
mineral supplement that has proper amounts of trace minerals
with a lower Phosphorus level.
Another example diet common for this area is corn stalks.
For a cow in her third trimester of pregnancy, the NRC requirement
for Phosphorus is 18 grams per day. A 1250 lb. cow will
eat about 29 lbs. of corn stalks in a day. This would provide
12 grams of Phosphorus, which would leave the cow deficient
by 6 grams per day. Feeding an 8% Phosphorus mineral
at 3.2 oz. would provide 7.26 grams of Phosphorus, enough
to cover the deficiency. The point to this discussion is
to stimulate some thought. Are we over feeding, under feeding
or as Goldie Locks said "just right" with the amount of
Phosphorus we are providing to our cattle?
Please remember every cattle producer has different feeds,
types of cattle and production. All these things and more
effect the amount and kind of minerals needed for an operation.
Please feel free to contact us at the feed department for
any help or product we can offer.
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