When making a cattle mineral selection decision, work with your Purina dealer to think through these additional considerations based on your herd’s specific needs: 

Seasonality: Spring calving cows have different nutrition requirements than fall calving cows. Also, spring grass is lusher and may warrant providing additional magnesium to limit grass tetany in the herd. 

Fly Control: How far north or south you’re located can make a big difference on when to start and stop feeding Purina Wind and Rain fly Control mineral. A good rule is to feed 30 days before the last spring frost through 30 days after the last fall frost. 

Breeding Management: More intensive breeding systems like artificial insemination and embryo transfer require the herd to be in a better shape reproductively. Providing a mineral with higher trace mineral bioavailability, such as Purina Wind and Rain ProCycle mineral, is advised in these situations to meet their needs. 

Bags versus Tubs: You can choose between Wind and Rain loose bagged mineral or Wind and Rain mineral tubs. Loose bags are easier to handle and offer more flexibility in delivery to the cattle. Mineral tubs often require less labor and provide more consistent intakes. It all comes down to personal preference.

Maximize efficiency to help cut feed costs without impacting production

Drought, supply chain issues, high grain prices, low hay supply and significantly increased fuel and fertilizer prices all have played a role in the drastically elevated feed costs cattle producers are facing this year.

Feed costs are the single largest expense in the cow-calf sector. Finding ways to manage these expenses could substantially impact your operation’s bottom line.

USDA is predicting seasonally strong demand and higher prices for fed cattle to end the year following the mass liquidations of summer. Efficiently feeding cattle to get the most bang for your buck and effective herd management may help producers to overcome the impact of high input costs and see the benefits of strong demand.

Take Advantage of Forages

Every day a cow can graze for herself is cheaper than anything mechanically harvested to put in front of her. Due to extensive drought, not all producers will have access to grazing. Let’s explore opportunities for those that do:

• Utilizing a grazing program, including pasture rotation, strategic fencing, and forage species variation, can allow for more efficient pasture use.
• Grazing corn stalks in the winter months or cover crops in the spring can extend your grazing season while minimizing the amount of harvested forage needed.
• Restricting cattle to certain sections of land or strategically placing water, supplements or minerals can promote grazing of underutilized pastures.

In areas where grazing isn’t available, forages are brought in. This is usually in the form of hay. When feeding hay, one of the most underutilized practices in the beef industry is forage sampling. Without sampling, you don’t know the nutrients available to your cattle. This leads to over-supplementing your herd and wasting money. It can also lead to under-supplementing and wasting the potential of your cattle. Leverage your forage sample results when planning a supplement program with your local store or Purina representative.

Purina offers forage extender products in our Accuration portfolio that are beneficial when forage is limited. These products are designed to balance nutrient deficiencies in fair or poor-quality forages.

Reducing hay waste is another way to help lower your feed cost. Adjustments to how you store and feed hay to your herd can reduce waste significantly.

Don’t Skimp on Minerals

Every biological process utilizes minerals. Some of the best dollars spent on cattle nutrition is on minerals. Without a balanced mineral program, forage and supplements aren’t as effective. As a result, you may not get the most out of your investment.

Intake levels are important to get the most value from your mineral program. Similar to supplements, over-or-under consumption can impact your pocketbook or your herd’s performance. Purina Wind and Rain minerals are designed to be consumed consistently at target intake levels. Wind and Rain loose bagged mineral offers target intake ranging from three to four ounces per head per day. Wind and Rain mineral tubs provide consumption at size to eight ounces per head per day.

Optimize Herd Management Practices

Strategically managing your herd can help in keeping feed costs under control. Body condition scores (BCS) are essential to the nutritional management of your herd. Use BCS to separate cattle into smaller groups to provide targeted nutrition. A simple version of this plan for a cow-calf operation would be to divide the herd into three groups:

• Yearling heifers 
• Two-year-old and Geriatric cows 
• Remaining cows. 

This separation allows you to provide the specific level of nutrition each of these groups need.

Yearling heifers are still growing and need additional nutrition. Your two-year-old group is in a growth phase and trying to provide nutrition for their first calf, either in gestation or at their side. Geriatric cows can also use a little extra nutrition to maintain their body condition, so grouping them with two-year-olds is appropriate. Separating the rest of the herd allows you to avoid overspending on supplements for cattle that maintain themselves well.

Unfortunately, sometimes a lack of resources forces tough decisions. If the time comes to reduce herd numbers, several factors must be considered.

Pregnancy testing is essential when making decisions on reducing herd size. Open cows should be the first to go because they cost too much to maintain when not producing. Evaluating each cow’s feet and legs, udder quality and temperament could also assist in narrowing down your options.

Set Strategies for your Success

Every decision needs to be tied to the goals of your operation. Tough choices may be forced in the short term due to higher input costs, but remember to make educated decisions with long-term feasibility and sustainability in mind.

Patrick Gunn, Ph.D., beef cattle nutritionist, Purina Animal Nutrition

Feed expenses are one of the highest variable costs for cattle operations annually. The cost of hay to get your herd through the winter months accounts for a significant percentage of those expenses and can impact your profitability. Research has shown that more than 50% of hay may be wasted by poor storage methods or inefficient feed practices. 

Storage

Improving your storage strategy is an investment that can pay off in the long run. Storing hay uncovered on bare ground is the cheapest and easiest method, but it comes at a cost. This storage method can lead to almost 30% dry matter loss in six months. 

One way to reduce hay loss is to add a barrier between hay and the bare ground. This will reduce the moisture that seeps in over time and causes hay quality to diminish. A layer of gravel under bales or placing hay on pallets allows air to circulate. As a result, this extra barrier can reduce dry matter loss by two-thirds or more. 

Another option is to provide further protection by covering bales. One advantage to covering bales is they can be stacked, requiring less ground cover. The most economical cover is a tarp. Additionally, individual wraps and a roof structure are good options as well. 

Storage buildings provide the best protection from hay loss during storage at an average of 5% dry matter loss. However, they also have a higher investment cost and may be less convenient. 

Feeding

Much of the waste that comes with feeding hay results from hay getting trampled or soiled. Limiting the amount of hay fed at one time can help limit waste. Research demonstrates that adjusting from feeding a four-day supply to a one-day supply can reduce waste by around 20%. 

Utilizing a feeder has also been shown to reduce hay waste by as much as 45%. However, feeders may also increase the labor required for feeding hay and may not always be practical. Feeding on gravel or concrete can provide a good alternative to help reduce issues. If feeding on the ground, choose a well-drained area. And when feeding on a pasture, move hay feeding areas daily to reduce soil compaction and buildup and spread out the manure and nutrients. 

Other hay feeding options include unrolling bales or grinding hay. An advantage to this method is the ability to move feeding areas around the pasture to ensure a more even distribution of manure and nutrients. However, these feeding systems are more labor intensive. 

Bridge the gap

A final way to ensure you’re getting the most use out of your winter forages is to utilize Purina supplements to fill the forage gap. Purina Accuration supplements help optimize digestibility and intake of low-quality forages. Purina Rangeland protein tubs provide readily available energy from forages. Implementing these supplements into your nutrition program can help get the most out of our forage investment. It can also assist your herd in maintaining optimal condition, even with lower quality forage. 

Steven Myers, Ph.D – Purina Animal Nutrition