Winter Nutrition Critical for Cow Herd

This is the time of year for ranchers to set the standard for their cows for nutritional well being now before major production cycles begin. We know that cows need protein, energy and minerals. PerforMix Nutrition Systems Animal Nutritional Consultant Dr. Boone Carter uses the nutritional analogy of a car — with the protein being the frame and engine, energy as the fuel of the car and minerals are like spark plugs and oil — making everything run smoothly. Carter says that all three elements are important.
Carter: “So if you don’t have all three components working together in a balanced way then you won’t get the kind of production you are looking for. So the goal is to balance all of those nutrients and for most people, protein and energy is not hard for people to think about because they are familiar with it. A lot of times it is minerals that often times get over looked. And so the key I think is to look at the production cycle and try and supplement those animals at least 30 to 60 days before that stressful period. So if a cow is going to calve in March then you probably need to supplementing her for that event 30 to 60 days before that. And then you need to continue that supplementation because shortly after that calving will come the breeding period and then they are turned out on the range and we will really don’t get a great opportunity to supplement after that.”