When it comes to feeding mineral, producers have ample opportunity to customize a program that fits their unique needs while also being economical. There is a wide variety of minerals on the market, but reading the labels to compare products can be a bit daunting.

Anyone who is at least somewhat familiar with the cattle industry knows there is a long list of products and product types that can be used for providing supplemental nutrients to cattle.

In recent years, a growing number of ranchers across the West have begun asking a similar question: Why, when salt is offered in multiple forms, do cattle suddenly stop consuming their mineral supplement?

Salt is necessary for our livestock’s health – and they love the stuff. But it’s easy to go too far. Look out for these common pitfalls when developing your herd’s nutrition plan.

Sometimes it seems as if beef producers are faced with a million details to attend to in order to make a ranch successful and cattle happy and healthy. Selenium is one of those details.

For optimum health, cattle diets need adequate amounts of protein, energy, vitamins and certain minerals.

Genetic advances in the cattle industry have resulted in animals with rapid growth rates and increased production efficiencies, requiring critical minerals and vitamins. As cow-calf producers strive to become more efficient through extended grazing programs such as fall/winter swath and bale grazing, the industry standard of providing free-choice mineral and vitamin supplements to herds often results in sporadic consumption by individual animals.

With respect to cattle inventories and price levels for both cattle and beef, the cattle industry is experiencing unprecedented times. Certainly, there have been swings both upward and downward in the feeder calf market, but prices have generally been historically high the past couple years, with the same expectations for 2025 and 2026.