Mineral balance important to cow performance

Date of publication : 4/28/2009

Source : University of Nebraska-Lincoln news

Feeding of corn co-products like distillers grains and corn gluten has changed the mineral balance in winter cattle diets, said Dennis Bauer, Brown County Extension Educator.

Those products are really high in phosphorus, Bauer said. When ranchers begin feeding two to three pounds of these co-products, they can discontinue phosphorus supplementation completely and just feed salt with a little bit of copper and zinc.

Deficiencies of phosphorus, copper and zinc are of primary concern, he said, as is the ratio between phosphorus and calcium. Without these minerals and several others, cattle don't perform as well as producers might expect. More severe shortages of these minerals can disrupt reproductive health, Bauer said.

During a three-year study conducted between 2001 and 2003, UNL researchers tested about 1,000 samples of winter forages, including a lot of meadow hay. For the most part, meadow hay proved to be a good source of calcium, although it was a bit deficient in phosphorus, copper and zinc. Other minerals such as magnesium, manganese, potassium and sulfur were found in sufficient concentrations to meet the animals' requirements 90 to 100% of the time.

Forages such as millet (foxtail and pearl), oat hay, and forage sorghums contain most of these minerals in concentrations that will meet the cow's requirements in most situations.

Alfalfa is the best source of all the minerals. Copper and zinc were the only minerals found to be in concentrations below the cow's requirements. But, Bauer said, most producers don't provide a full feed of alfalfa, so the cow's requirements still may not be met. He did not recommend a full feeding of alfalfa because that would mean overfeeding protein.

Instead, he encouraged ranchers to test their forage. Find out what minerals are in the forages during the winter. They can give credit for the minerals those forages contribute and balance the ration with a custom-mixed mineral package.

Mineral balance in a cow's winter ration can make the difference between good and substandard performance.

Comments : (6)

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Hafiz Wasi Khan

Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

Animal Nutritionist

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

04/28/2009 | Dairy world is moving from primary diet to balanced diet. Previously it was thought that animal belly should be filled with proper feed and that is enough. In this modern world competition in economic terms has forced the farmers to exploit maximum potential of livestock production. Further there is a great breakthrough in research in this sector also which has indicated that not only basic ingredients like carbohydrates, CP and fats are required in proper quantities but also minor elements like Ca, Phosphorus, Zn, Copper Selenium and so many others are also required not only taking maximum production from the animal but also to maintain ittheir health in future also. The concept of TMR gives the answer. Milk fever in high yielding animals is a clear cut example of supply and demand when an animal gives more milk but its ration is defecient in ca and phosphorus.
This article is appreciated as a reminder to the farmers as a key to have maximum production from their animals.

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Ravinder Grewal

Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Animal Nutritionist

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

04/29/2009 | Mineral content of forages is highly variable and, apart from plant species, is determined by the conc. of mineral in soil. Modern dairy cow" style="font-size:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-family:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;">dairy cow requires mineral well above the minimum requirement for prevention of deficiency. So supplementation is used as a tool for highest possible production.

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Dr.thirumeignanam, D.,

Chennai, Tamil Nadu [Madras] , India

Animal Nutritionist

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

05/12/2009 | Yes, mineral content of feedstuffs varies to area (soil). Frequent monitoring and area specific mineral requirements are necessary.

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Dr.vishwa Bandhu Chaturvedi

India

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

05/14/2009 | Minerals are very essential for production, growth, as well as for health maintenance due to its vital functions.

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Rakesh Raikwar

Sikkim, India

Animal Nutritionist

Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd.

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

05/14/2009 | Despite of all these facts about the role of minerals in Animal Nutrition there is absence of well-defined standards from the mineral mixture manufacturing point of view as we find many of such companies which are in such business no quality control. Therefore to check such types of malpractices there must be regulatory agencies as States and central level so that interest of dairy farmers can be safe guarded. Even there are reports that National Dairy Development Board of India has completed the mineral profiling of entire country therefore it must be made public so that farmers could come to know the mineral needs of their animals.

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Dr.deepa Ananth

Mumbai, Kerala,Mumbai, India

Animal Nutritionist

Re: News: Mineral balance important to cow performance

05/29/2009 | Good article. Phosphorus is the costliest mineral in a mineral mixture. Now improved availability of DDGS as byproduct of ethnol production and introduction of phytase enzyme has improved the phosphorus availability. hence the critical availability of minerals are changing on day today basis. ICAR network project on micronutrients has conducted the mineral survey and mapping of mineral status in soil, grass and blood in various states on India. I hope this would form the basis for mineral supplementation to various animals in different localities in India. Recommendation on the mineral supplementation should be based on these data and the available feed and fodder in the locality following the sandard guidlines

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