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Supplement Timing May Let Cattle Producers Get
More for Less
"Our
tests show that supplementing between December
15 and July 1 maintained critical mineral levels
in the livers of beef cows." |
7/96 BOZEMAN -- Based on preliminary research, cattle
producers may be able to spend less on mineral supplementation
if they supplement at the right time, says a Montana
State University researcher.
Small quantities of minerals are believed to have an
impact on both cattle reproduction and disease resistance,
says Ray Ansotegui, a Montana State University beef
cattle researcher. Maintaining adequate levels of copper
and zinc, in particular, are thought to be important
in both livestock reproduction and disease prevention.
In the past, beef cattle experts thought cattle did
not keep these minerals in their bodies very long. However,
results from Ansotegui's research indicate that the
liver maintains minerals long enough for producers to
give mineral supplements at only specific times of the
year.
"Our tests show that supplementing between December
15 and July 1 maintained critical mineral levels in
the livers of beef cows," says Ansotegui. "With
the price of cattle so low, it may be that producers
can strategically target mineral supplements rather
than eliminating."
Ansotegui's single year of research took the unusual
step of obtaining the level of trace minerals in a cow's
liver, in addition to getting tests that showed mineral
levels in the blood.
"We're beginning to believe that using the levels
of minerals in blood is less reliable than using liver
levels," says Ansotegui.
Giving copper and zinc mineral supplements from December
15 1994 to July 1 1995 gave a cow adequate nutrition
before the birth of her calf and while the calf was
suckling, but Ansotegui's work also showed that the
levels of those minerals remained high in the animal
into the winter of 1995-96.
If additional research supports his findings, it could
mean that producers would not have to give mineral supplements
when cows are on summer and fall range. Besides reducing
the time during which livestock receive supplements,
this would minimize the supplement used by wildlife.
Ansotequi's research was conducted on 60 cows on range
near Norris, Montana. The research was reported July
25 at the national meetings of the American Society
of Animal Science in South Dakota.
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