It’s time to think about cattle minerals differently. Using minerals as your ounce of prevention can pay off for producers in the long run.

A mineral can be more than just a way of efficiently delivering nutrition to your herd – it can also be a cost-effective health management tool. Your mineral package can deliver critical trace minerals, vitamins, and even additives that work to proactively address costly health issues.

Managing health through minerals is important to any herd’s overall return on investment. Mineral ensures performance is maintained.
In extreme cases where nutrition is imbalanced, death can be a side effect, meaning lost potential income. For instance, when phosphorus levels are not adequate, weaning rates suffer. Studies have shown a 25% reduction in calves weaned when no phosphorus is present.

Several cents per head per week invested in minerals can help combat challenges that can cost thousands. It’s a smart investment.

Use Mineral as a Value-Added Tool for:

Foot Rot

Foot rot is an infectious disease leading to swelling between the hoof claws. It is common during wet, muddy periods and can lead to lameness in cattle. When foot rot is prevented it can result in 20% more weight gained during a grazing season.

The dairy industry has seen how dialing in nutrition can help improve hoof health and limit issues like foot rot. Feeding trace minerals like zinc, iodine, copper, and manganese can positively impact hoof health.

Organic iodine, scientifically called ethylenediamine dihydroiodide (EDDI), is a more bioavailable – or readily digestible – form of the mineral. Feeding iodine at or above the National Research Council (NRC) recommended level helps limit foot rot.

Zinc is also beneficial because it aids with skin integrity, which can make it harder for pathogens to breach the skin.

Grass Tetany

Cool-season grasses risk being low in available magnesium during spring and fall, causing grass tetany. Symptoms of grass tetany include loss of muscle control, irritability, and ultimately coma and death in cattle.

When cool-season grasses are in their key growth periods, potassium can also be higher than normal, causing magnesium to not absorb easily. Compounding the problem of grass tetany is the need for cows to have double the magnesium requirements when lactating, which tends to coincide with calving for both spring and fall calving herds.

A mineral higher in magnesium is a simple way to help prevent grass tetany and meet the needs of lactating females grazing cool-season forages. Provide high magnesium minerals two to three weeks before cattle are first exposed to lush grass to achieve consistent intake before the time of highest risk. Continue feeding for 60 days after the first sign of grass growth.

White Muscle Disease

When selenium or vitamin E is low in a cow’s diet during gestation, young calves can acquire nutritional myodegeneration (NMD), commonly referred to as white muscle disease. Calves born with low selenium or vitamin E levels suffering from white muscle disease can have two types: a congenital version and a delayed response version.

The congenital version of NMD impacts the heart and is fatal in most cases, with calves dying in a few days. The delayed response version results in weak calves that can’t stand, but can be remedied with injectable selenium and vitamin E when calves exhibit symptoms.

Fortunately, white muscle disease is avoidable with balanced nutrition. If soil selenium levels are low, feeding higher selenium levels is recommended, especially during gestation. Testing forages for selenium levels and other nutrients, particularly if you are in regions like the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes, is a good idea to get a baseline of your mineral needs.

Urinary Calculi

Male cattle can develop kidney stones or urinary calculi when there is inverted calcium: phosphorus ratio in the diet. Urinary calculi can happen when feeding higher levels of
distillers’ grains or grazing forages that are high in phosphates.

A balanced mineral program helps reduce the risk of urinary calculi by providing the correct calcium: phosphorus ratio.

Get Extra Benefits from Additives

Minerals can also be a convenient way to deliver additives that support the health of your herd.

1. Fly Control
Controlling flies means that those flies are less able to bite and stress your cattle. Reducing flies benefits the immune system because cattle don’t devote nutrients to fighting and avoiding flies.
An insect growth regulator (IGR) in minerals can help to limit horn flies. Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control mineral contains Altosid® IGR, which inhibits the horn fly life cycle in the manure by stopping pupae from developing into biting adult flies.

2. Bloat
The risk of bloat is common when grazing lush grasses during the early part of the grazing season. Ionophores added to minerals can help relieve bloat.
Mineral intake is also key to increasing ionophore intake and limiting bloat when forage is lush. If the mineral isn’t palatable, cattle won’t consume the needed ionophore.

Pick up Purina Minerals at any of Berend Bros. locations.

Sources: Checkerpoint, Summer 2022

Kent Tjardes, Ph.D., Purina Mills cattle nutritionist

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The Fall Armyworm definitely lives up to its name— Given their immense appetite, great numbers, and marching ability, armyworms can damage entire fields or pastures in a few days. Armyworms are on the march so come see us at J&N Feed and Seed for the right insecticide solutions for your pasture crops.

Two species of armyworms can be significant pests of Texas forage and pasture production. The “true” armyworm is more of a spring pest of cool-season grasses and tall fescue. The fall armyworm is a summer/fall pest primarily of Bermuda grass, but it can also damage fall-seeded, newly established winter annuals, fescue, and orchard grass.

Damage from true armyworms and fall armyworms can seem to appear overnight. Although the damage might appear overnight, larvae have likely been feeding for a week or more before they or their damage appears. Large armyworms may move into an uninfested field (or area of field) adjacent to a field that was just defoliated. Because armyworms are so destructive and compete with livestock for forage, producers should diligently scout susceptible fields for the true armyworm beginning in April and for fall armyworms beginning in July.

At J&N Feed and Seed, we’ve got solutions for armyworm control. There are several different pesticides that can be used to control armyworms in pastures and hayfields. Stop by J&N Feed and Seed and together, we’ll come up with a plan to win the war on armyworms. Read more about managing armyworms here.

August is here and needless to say, it is HOT! However Fall is right around the corner and here are a few tips to get you through the scorching days of August.

Make the best use of the water you have by watering early in the morning before the wind speeds pick up. Otherwise, much of the water will evaporate before the plants get to use it. To further avoid excess evaporation, use a sprinkler that produces large drops of water instead of a fine mist. Plants need about one inch of water each week during this long summer period. If you have heavy clay soil adjust the timing of the irrigation zones to make sure water is not running off the landscape. Your irrigation schedule should be adjusted to allow for slow infiltration of the water. Be a WISE – keep water on the landscape.

Soil that is exposed can heat up to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This is hot enough to kill those tender root hairs near the surface. Three to four inches of mulch can make the soil 10 to 20 degrees cooler. Besides reducing soil temperature, mulches also conserve water by reducing evaporation, often up to 65 percent.

August is the last month to plant a new lawn before winter temperatures arrive. Newly-installed lawns need at least six to eight weeks to establish a healthy root system.

Prune roses back, but do not remove more than one-third of the plant. Prune and remove spent blooms on annuals and perennials to encourage continuous blooming well into fall.

Tomato and Peppers planted earlier this year will not set fruit during the heat of the summer, even though they may still be flowering. If the plants remain healthy, they will set fruit again once the temperatures stay below 90 degrees. Sidedress established healthy plants with fertilizer and keep watered to encourage new growth. Set out tomato transplants; look for early maturing variety (65 to 75 days). Our average first freeze is mid-November and tomato maturity slows down as the days get cool and cloudy.

J&N Feed and Seed is your local dealer for Outdoor Wood Patio Furniture from Texas Casual Wooden Furniture.

Are you looking for that perfect swing for your front porch? Or, do you need new patio furniture for your back deck? At J&N Feed and Seed,  you’ll find a great selection of rockers and other patio items made in Grandview Texas, by Texas Casual. Outdoor furniture is an investment, so make sure you invest in high-quality pieces.

Every piece of TX Casual furniture is handmade from premium-grade, American grown, Wolmanized, Southern Yellow Pine. Each piece is assembled with hot dipped zinc fasteners which are more rust-resistant than galvanized and stronger than stainless steel. We are obsessed with comfort and design. Which means we routinely refine and improve our furniture. It’s the small things like, hidden hardware, and sanded edges that make a real difference.

We are proud to be a dealer of Texas Casual fine outdoor wood patio furniture. Avoid the big box stores and come shop local with us, where you’ll find a knowledgeable staff and outstanding customer service. J&N Feed and Seed is a family-owned business located at 450 Pecan Street, in Graham, Texas. Shop local with us today!