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Every year about this time, producer attention turns to fly control. Especially in the southern U.S., by the time early spring rolls around, the flies are coming back to the cows with a vengeance, assuming they ever left at all.
Most producers understand that minerals must be supplemented to cattle at all stages of production if they want optimal performance, especially in health and reproduction.
Producers have been growing and finishing calves to put in the freezer as long as there have been freezers. This has been a common process for years, especially in areas where the rural, cattle-owning population was greater than it is today.
Almost every dairy samples and analyzes their forages, commodities and feed at some point in time. It is generally recognized that collecting this information periodically is necessary for proper development and formulation of the various feeds used on the farm.
As discussed in countless articles on the topic over the years, every cattle operation has a mineral program, whether they realize it or not. These range from well-designed and implemented programs to nothing at all.
One of the truly amazing things about feeding the dairy cow is the diverse nature of the ingredients that can be used in developing the feeding program. While we commonly think in terms of silages, hays, corn, soybean meal and byproducts such as dry distillers grains (DDG) or corn gluten feed, there are a wide range of other ingredients that can be cost-effective and support performance.
As we manage and build livestock operations, especially beef cattle, producers have a need for tools that can help determine the effectiveness of management, especially with nutrition programs, against the mountain of variables that affect animals daily.
Most producers recognize that anything done on the farm or ranch comes with a cost. This is true with the cow herd for critical functions such as reproduction and health. Common costs include the purchase of bulls or A.I. supplies for breeding.
Feed mixing and delivery is one of the most important activities on the dairy. Mixing and feeding a total mixed ration (TMR) is a multiple-times-per-day activity. Doing this job accurately and consistently time and time again, batch after batch and day after day is critical to production (volume and components), animal health and overall farm economics.
