The Smallest Details Make the Biggest Difference

Ensure proper levels of trace minerals to improve herd performance.

by Megan Silveira, Angus Journal assistant editor

Cattle care happens at all levels, and producers know even the smallest action can make the biggest difference in herd health. Ensuring livestock receive the proper amounts of trace mineral will help to ensure a cow is performing at peak level.

Kevin Cain, director of technical services for MultiMin, lists four trace minerals as major players in terms of reproduction — copper, manganese, selenium and zinc. Each of these minerals alter reproductive performance in a cow, from ovulation to embryo survivability.

The trace-mineral needs of a cow vary based on the location and time of year. A female’s needs move with her reproductive cycle, with the time of highest need for supplementation of trace mineral occurring right after calving.

“If a cow is deficient in trace minerals at the time of birth, the calf is going to be born deficient as well,” he adds.

A fetus is completely dependent upon the cow for trace minerals from conception to birth, he explains, so year-round supplementation is ideal. A constant provision of trace minerals ensures a healthy, productive cow capable of producing a heavy-weaning calf to generate a sturdy profit.

For cattle of all ages, function and performance decreases in a specific hierarchy as the individual animals fail to consume the proper amount of trace minerals.

“As we start to decrease trace-mineral intake, the first thing we’re going to give up is the immune function,” Cain explains.

Next to go is fertility.

“On the cow-calf side of things, when we’re looking at reproduction, we need to get those cows bred,” he says.

Without proper intake of trace minerals, cows cannot meet that simple goal for producers.

The third area to suffer is performance and growth. As producers look to sell calves by the pound, it’s natural to want to wean bigger animals, Cain says. Failing to ensure cattle can reach these bigger weights is equivalent to failing to ensure the highest profit level is being achieved.

The fourth and final level of decreased function in a herd is the first that is visible to the human eye, Cain says. When cattle hit this level, portions of the herd will start to exhibit physical traits that indicate their basic mineral needs are not being met.

For example, when black cattle start to exhibit a reddish tint to the hair on their back and shoulders, Cain says, this indicates a copper deficiency.

Though no cattleman aims to reach this fourth level in trace-mineral deficiency before supplementing the herd, Cain says, it’s never too late to start making management decisions to help achieve higher levels of performance.

Trace minerals were the focus of the learning lounge session, “Building Your Beef Cow Herd: How Trace Minerals Improve Profitability,” hosted by MultiMin during the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Houston, Texas.

Editor’s note: Photo by Kasey Brown.

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