Targeted Mineral Supplementation

Originally Published in the Gulf Coast Cattleman

“When it comes to mineral supplementation, it's about hitting the target,” said Dr. Jason Banta, Associate Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. “If we have mineral deficiencies, then supplementing the appropriate minerals is beneficial. However, excess mineral intake is a growing concern which can lead to reduced performance or even death in some causes.”

Banta said some of those negative impacts are reduced dry matter intake, average daily gain, and reproduction issues like decreased conception rates.

“Mineral toxicity can occur when more mineral is consumed or administered to the animal than it can handle. Trace minerals like copper, zinc, and selenium are more frequently involved with cases of mineral toxicity,” Banta said. “To avoid potential issues of mineral toxicity be careful of using multiple products (feed supplements, injectables, drenches, etc.) designed to provide minerals to the animal at the same time. This is something producers have to be aware of because more feeds have added mineral packages than in the past and because of the use of injectables and drenches. We need to make sure our cattle are not being over-supplemented while ensuring they receive the minerals they do need.”

Banta said just like over-supplementation, there are negative impacts of under-supplementation.

“If our cattle are deficient in a mineral, we can see decreased performance,” Banta said. “I want to emphasize that when we think about changes in cattle performance, be it growth or reproduction, our first focus needs to be on protein and energy supplementation. Those nutrients will be responsible for the big changes. Then we look at mineral supplementation for small changes in performance.”

Banta said, it’s important to note, once an animal’s mineral requirement has been met, adding mineral beyond that need is not going to benefit the animal.

“Sometimes people recommend feeding more phosphorus to improve reproduction, but the research data doesn’t support that,” Banta said. “If cattle were severely, severely deficient in phosphorus, that may lead to a reduction in body condition score. If that is the case, then adding phosphorus to meet their needs could improve their body condition and therefore improve reproduction. But, once we meet that phosphorus requirement, feeding additional phosphorus doesn’t help. In today’s industry with high input costs, we must realize that phosphorus is one of the most expensive components of a mineral supplement. So, we definitely don’t want to overfeed phosphorus because it won’t add any extra benefit, but will increase cost.”

Determining mineral supplementation needs for a herd will depend on multiple factors including production stage, forage availability, forage quality, and location. Considering these factors and working with a beef cattle nutritionist who is familiar with the region is a great place to start.

“From a cow-calf standpoint, first we’re going to look at the primary forage base those cattle are consuming,” Banta said. “Once we know the nutritional content of our forage base, we can estimate what minerals the cattle may be lacking and determine an appropriate supplement based on that information.”

All mineral sources available to cattle should be considered when determining what minerals are already part of their diet. Forage, feed, tubs, liquid feed and even water sources can all contribute to mineral intake.

“Most producers who are grazing cattle on green grass are just going to have a loose mineral out there for their cattle,” Banta said. “But, if they’re also feeding a tub or cubes, they need to be looking at the ingredients of those products. They may be feeding multiple products with added minerals and that’s when we see situations with problems due to excess minerals in the diet.”

Dr. Matt Hersom, professor and director at Clemson University’s Piedmont Research and Education Center, said often forage, is deficient in certain minerals.

“When we do see deficiencies, we are going to see our animals’ health fall off because so many of biological and physiological processes are dependent on these enzymes with key minerals being part of them,” Hersom said. “When an animal’s health falls off, we are going to see that result in poor performance. They’re not going to grow as efficiently and their reproduction is going to be impacted. Reproductive efficiency of bulls and cows will be impacted by mineral deficiency. It may not be drastic. It may just be a couple percentages off our herd’s conception rates, but if we let that go, we will start seeing it manifest in our calves’ performance as well.”

Hersom said forage testing and water testing are key components in determining which minerals are already part of a herd’s diet.

“Forage testing is a great place to start when we’re addressing a nutritional problem,” Hersom said. “That’s typically the largest part of the diet. A mineral analysis on your forage test is usually an add-on to your standard forage test. Depending on how detailed that analysis goes will determine the ultimate cost. The closer you are to the coast, the more important water testing is as you start to see more salinity issues.”

Banta said monitoring mineral consumption will also help producers ensure their cattle are receiving adequate mineral supplementation.

“If you’re feeding a loose mineral, one of the easiest ways to monitor intake is to fill your mineral feeder with a 50-pound bag and see how many days it takes for it to be empty again,” Banta said. “Then you can divide by the number of days to figure out your daily intake for the herd. Then divide by the number of animals to determine individual daily intake. Most of our minerals today are formulated for three to four ounces of daily intake. If our cattle are consuming way more or way less than they should be, we probably need to look at changing something. We may also want to look salt sources because salt does two things; initially salt encourages mineral intake, but at a certain point it begins to discourage mineral intake. If cattle aren’t consuming our target amount of mineral, it may be that they’re consuming too much salt from another source.”

Mineral supplementation comes in many forms and can be tailored to fit any operation’s nutritional needs.

“A mineral supplement is going to include a few basic things,” Banta said. “Salt, macro-minerals (measured in percent of the diet), and trace minerals or micro-minerals (measured as parts per million). Many supplements come with optional additives like fly control.”

There may seem like a lot of supplement options out there, but there’s no need to be overwhelmed. There are plenty of regional professional resources to help guide producers through the process of targeting mineral supplementation on their operation.

“Visit with a local extension agent who can connect you with a beef cattle nutritionist in your state. Talk to your nutritionist and say, ‘These are the products I’m looking at feeding. Do I need to be concerned about getting too much mineral? Do these products meet my herd’s nutritional needs?’ Another option would be to talk to your feed salesman if you’re buying from a specific company. Your feed salesman should be able to connect you with one of the company’s technical nutritionists. A third option, is to hire a consulting nutritionist to build a feed program for your operation.”

Hersom also recommends connecting with local professionals through extension or a trusted feed company.

“Start with local and state extension,” Hersom said. “Connect with a feed company that has a good history in the area. Local resources are always a great place to start because they’re going to know the common forage base in the area and minerals that are historically problematic in that area. Having that homegrown knowledge is important.”