March 2010 Newsletter

     Hi There - Ol’man winter has definitely reared his ugly head this year! With that came many challenges.  Keeping cattle dry and out of the wind as much as possible becomes crucial to animal health.  It is not always easy to accomplish this, especially when it decides to rain a ½ inch in the middle of January.  Cattle health this winter has suffered on many farms.  I believe it’s a combination of the weather stress and also the quality of the grain and grain forages.

     As far as the bedding and staying dry, growing cattle (dairy and beef) need ample space and 25 sq ft/head is a good starting point.  Cattle need to lay 8-10 hours/day to reach performance goals.  Cattle that stand too much take 16% more feed to put on the same pound of beef, which costs you money.  Every tenth of a pound in feed efficiency can be $6-$8 /head in higher feed costs.

     It’s not just the cost that’s important.  Immune function can also be depressed when cattle are stressed.  Know what cattle are eating, weigh your scoop, pail or buckets to make sure animals are getting the grain and mineral you think they are.  Feed is lighter this year and has more bulk.  I’ve scaled feed at many farms this year and in almost every case the scale was “short”.  When we are short on minerals the immune function is challenged again.  Now we have a double hit and in many cases stressed or sick animals don’t eat well to start with.  When the animal is challenged to fight infection the need for copper, manganese and zinc must come from tissue reserves.  Their disease defense is reduced and fertility rates decrease.  Other environmental stresses can show up such as hoof rot lameness, leading to poor performance and challenged cattle.  Feed efficiency and health coincide with each other, so make sure you know your cattle are getting the nutrition they need for you to succeed.  Weigh your feed, know what you are feeding and increase your mineral and trace mineral fortification during times of stress and you’ll increase your bottom line in the long run.  If you have any questions with your program or you’re not exactly sure where you should be with your current situation, please call me at 612-618-6148 – I’d love to help!