Today in Pictures

[furrowtickler]

I started pushing Vitamin A on the cows a few years back. Put it in their water midwinter. When you look up what amounts they are theorized at using each day, and then look at how much the mineral mixes supply IF the cow eats the recommended amount, it still doesn’t come close to touching their requirements.

I think most minerals are alright if you don’t have a big deficiency but they are maintenance levels only. As soon as their food -or water- falls short for some reason, the minerals will never get them back up to sufficient levels. They’ll constantly fall into a bigger hole.

When I see farmers in places like the UK that supply topical iodine and copper boluses that release throughout the year… it makes me feel like our mineral options and understanding really might not be great in Western Canada. We’re just stuck in the status quo of the last 40 years.

I think you’re very correct
the exact same can be said about crops .
Been way too focused just on NPS and to a far lesser extent K
This has changed somewhat the past few years finally as more available micro nutrients are becoming available

[Old Cowzilla]

Quit using Co-op mineral and salt years ago because the cattle don't like it. Other guys like it because they use less thinking they are saving money. As for micro's anywhere cattle are pastured or manure is spread micro's are always higher than continuous cropping ground. I am thinking feed sup is keeping Micro levels higher. One of the few advantages of a mixed farming op.

[TSIPP]

I used the co-op stuff because I try and shop locally, it’s the only store in my local small town, it cost me a 150 calves in one year, I really wonder how many millions were taken out of the local economy because the cows didn’t have a calf. Good thing my check off dollars are working…

[shtferbrains]

"Free Choice" mineral is almost an oxymoron?
If you had a bag of salt and a bag of range minerals to take a taste from each, guess which one is going to taste worse than dirt?
If you leave salt blocks out in the pasture and run out of salt, the cows eat the dirt where they were laying.

Dairies and feedlots don't have any "free choice".
It all goes in the TMR so every animal has to eat the daily amount.

Copper is a problem that comes from where the feed is produced.
But that's a whole book by itself.

Find a good loose bagged salt with chelated copper and feed it free choice out of at least 2 location and if that's your problem they won't be short of copper.
I think sifto makes one?
Also mix some with your mineral so the all might eat some of that.

50% to 70% of cows in western canada are copper deficient so you aren't in a unique area.
I'm thinking a lot of those cows get free choice mineral?

IMHO.
DYOD.

[Blaithin]

Can’t compare salt to mineral.

Salt they will consume up to a limit no matter what. If you mix salt with mineral free choice, you can manipulate consumption, but when they hit their salt limit they stop licking.

50:50 salt:mineral vs 25:75 would have different consumption levels because they’ll eat until they have enough salt.

Have salty water? They’re going to consume less because they’re getting their salt elsewhere.

If you just have mineral out with no salt in it then you’re in danger of palatability being a driving factor that keeps some animals intake low. Some minerals try and offset this by including molasses to increase palatability - this would be more helpful in high salt environments where cows can hit their salt limit easily.

And none of the intake matters if the bioavailability is low and the minerals get bound up and not absorbed, so yes, chelated is helpful.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Is anyone remember the independent research into the causes of BSE? From what I recall, one of the contributing factors was a shortage of copper.

Our gray wooded soils are notoriously short of minerals. A problem for both crops and livestock. Our vet had come up with a mineral and vitamin recipe unique to this area.

I've been seeing a very positive response to copper on wheat acres.

[rumrocks]

50 - 70 % Copper shortage in livestock, similar numbers with Magnesium shortage in humans. What does it cost to get a blood test for mineral deficiencies in livestock.

[shtferbrains]

What does it cost to get a blood test for mineral deficiencies in livestock.

Can you use liver from slaughter animals to monitor general levels?

[TSIPP]

50 - 70 % Copper shortage in livestock, similar numbers with Magnesium shortage in humans. What does it cost to get a blood test for mineral deficiencies in livestock.

Blood, pregnancy and liver was roughly $500 per animal.

[TSIPP]

Can you use liver from slaughter animals to monitor general levels?

I’m sure you could, that’s exactly what should be happening.