NEW ORLEANS, La — Trace mineral supplements are imperative for profitable cattle production, but the variety of available organic and inorganic products and formulations can be confusing for some.
Minerals can boost productivity, but cattle have to eat them to derive the benefits, said a group of researchers during an Alltech-sponsored session at the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention held in New Orleans.
“We have to make sure we are getting that mineral into the animal. It needs to be palatable, it needs consistent consumption,” said beef researcher Matt Hersom of the University of Florida.
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This is particularly challenging among range cattle, said Mark Robbins, manager of research at Ridley Block Operations.
“You can formulate the best trace mineral program ever but what good is it if the cows don’t eat it,” said Robbins.
If they like a supplement with molasses in it, for example, they will eat it and start to derive real benefits.
Absorption is the key and not all mineral packages are created equal, said Robbins.
“You cannot tell from the feed tag how much of that organic trace mineral is actually there,” he said.
Researchers have found organic minerals or chelated minerals have positive effects on growth because these products are more biologically available compared to inorganic sources.
Studies suggest that binding copper, zinc, iron and manganese with amino acids and peptides enhances bioavailability.
“The ones that are less tightly bound will more likely dissociate all the way through the digestive tract,” said Robbins.
When that trace mineral goes into the abomasum or gastric stomach of the animals, the pH levels are very low and the minerals dissociate, said beef nutrition researcher Vaughn Holder of Alltech.
How a mineral holds as pH changes is the critical point.
“When you put an organic or chelated trace mineral into the intestinal environment, if it is not stable against the intestinal environment, it breaks apart into its inorganic mineral source. If it is not stable through that process, you are essentially feeding very expensive inorganic minerals,” he said.
Once cattle absorb the supplements, research has shown improved health, fertility and growth.
A project at the University of Florida noted a 25-pound response in weaning weight with an improved mineral program.
Feeding extra minerals to cows affects their offspring, particularly among heifers.
“It is not just a cow effect. We see that effect showing up in subsequent generations,” said Hersom.
The research reported earlier puberty among heifers by about 12 days and an increase in their pregnancy rates when inorganic supplements were switched to organic minerals.
“You have to feed the mineral program to the cows during gestation for the fertility effect in the heifer,” Holder said.
However, body weights and condition scores were not different among the control and those receiving organic minerals.
Organic minerals are more expensive but carry longer-term benefits with improved fertility and weight gains.
“If we are just talking about costs we are missing out,” said Hersom.
“You can’t starve the profit out of a cow. I can’t make more money if I am not willing to invest some up front.”
To achieve these improvements, a mineral program is recommended year-round.
There are critical times in the production cycle when cattle need minerals. By not providing them year-round, something is sacrificed, said Hersom.
They may need less during the first and second trimesters but stopping supplementation is a bad idea because green grass may not be enough.
“A lot of people don’t realize most of the forages in North America are typically short on zinc, copper and selenium. Those are three very important trace minerals in your reproductive performance of your herd,” said Robbins.
Since herds, management and local environments differ, working with a nutritionist is recommended.
