Despite major differences in cattle production nationally, there’s one thing I’m comfortable generalizing: Cattle producers do not have an abundance of time, labor or resources.

Good nutritional status is an important factor for quality of life and health of all living things, including cattle. Yet, because many of the signs of poor nutrition are subclinical, they are often overlooked.

Steroidal implants, often referred to as simply implants, have been used in beef cattle for more than 60 years. In addition, there are a wide array of available implants on the market.

When operating costs are high and cattle prices are low, cutting back on nonessentials is often the first step to tightening the purse strings. So what counts as a necessity? What should be cut? Answer: Not minerals.

Probiotics have become more popular with consumers in recent years. In the past, probiotics were only associated with foods such as yogurt, but as probiotics become more readily available to us in so many forms, education regarding the benefit of probiotics have driven researchers to dig deeper into the function of good bacteria.

Chelates are strange creatures. They are synthetic hybrids of metals and proteins or parts of proteins, and we can include them in cattle feeds.