Nutritional Guidelines or Supplementing Cow/Calf Operations

by Gary Sides, Ph.D. and Blaine Corners, Ph.D., Zoetis Technical Service nutritionists

Determining the proper and effective supplementation of forages is one of the keys to ranch survival, especially in an economy like the present. The temptation to find something cheap to feed is a powerful temptation. Even seasoned producers will find and buy an ingredient that has little to no feeding value, and in some cases, will even make things worse.

As nutritionists, we have a greater fear of buying an ingredient that is moderately, or even premium priced, but carries a nutritional aspect that will damage or reduce fiber digestion. In that case, we might as well have sent them to the Texas Panhandle to be grown on flaked corn.

Forages in the Western United States, during a typical year, are wildly variable in minerals, energy, and protein. To further complicate things, our rainfall (and/or lack thereof) varies wildly from year to year and season to season. Forages are not completely devoid of nutrients during dormancy or droughts, but cattle will require access to additional nutrients to meet their requirements for growth, reproduction, and immunity.

Following are some basic guidelines to remember when selecting nutrients to supplement on forage-based cattle operations.

A rumen lacking sufficient energy, protein, or minerals is an environment where fibro lytic bacteria merely “hang on.” They do not turnover (reproduce) at a rate optimal for both fiber digestion and bacterial protein production. Proper supplementation changes this dynamic.

Let’s pause for a minute to add a very quick reminder on the physiology (and complexity) of the grazing ruminant. Each drop of rumen fluid contains millions of fiber digesting microbes. There are about 20 drops in one milliliter, a thousand milliliters in one liter and just less than four liters in a gallon. For a cow with a 50-gallon rumen, that’s a pile of microbes.

We, as cattlemen, are microbiologists first. Initially we feed the rumen microbes which then in turn feed the animal. Rumen fermentation by these microbes produces both energy for the animal and bacterial protein to meet all amino acid requirement.

There are specific microbes that can digest fiber and very different species of microbes that digest grain. The proper environment in the rumen is very different for forage-based diets vs. grain-based diets, which makes feeding rations containing both forage and grain a complicated process. Rumens and humans do not like change. When we change the rumen’s diet from forage to grain, it takes time and expertise to make this transition.

Fiber digesting bacteria, unlike the starch digesting bacteria (which require only ammonia or non-protein nitrogen), need traces of ammonia plus amino acids, peptides, and intact proteins to grow and reproduce. When they “grow and reproduce”, they will produce the (volatile) fatty acids (VFA) that are the major energy source for a grazing ruminant. If one increases the growth and reproduction of rumen organisms via supplementation, you in turn increase the energy (VFA) and protein (bacterial) available to the animal for growth, reproduction, and immunity.

Natural protein sources, degradable in the rumen, are absolutely required. Corn co-products, like DDGS and Corn Gluten Feed, are good energy sources (highly digestible fiber plus some fat) but are not great sources of protein for forage-based operations.

This is due to relatively low rumen protein degradability. Oilseed meals, like cottonseed meal (CSM) or soybean meal (SBM), are ideal sources of high quality, rumen degradable protein. For forage- based cattle operations, CSM and SBM are the gold standards by which other protein supplements are measured and evaluated.

Why do we recommend protein supplementation for cattle on low quality forages? Protein supplementation dramatically increases both feed intake and digestibility of forages low in protein and thus improves the energy and protein status of the animal during periods of low forage quality.

Protein supplementation during pregnancy has far reaching value – it’s called fetal programming. Heifer replacement calves from protein supplemented pregnant cows will reach puberty sooner and produce more calves in their lifetimes than control calves. In the feedyard, these same steer and heifer calves outperform their non-protein fed controls. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Fats/oils are a great energy source for the animal, but unavailable to the bacteria. Cap dietary fat at five percent in a fiber driven ration. Remember that almost everything on earth, except sand, has at least two percent fat. This gives you three percent marginal fat to work with. Take special care of highly managed herds that supplement fats leading up to breeding. It all adds up.

Protein and the improved digestibility of low-quality forages (as well as the increase in overall feed intake) generate a considerable amount of heat. This is critical for livestock during cold temperatures – as we have just experienced in the severe winter in the northern and western regions of the U.S. Energy requirements just for maintenance explode in cold, windy, and muddy conditions. This is just another important reason to feed a quality protein source.

These are the last two messages on feeding protein. Number one, you don’t have to feed it every day. God made the ruminant with the ability to recycle unused nitrogen through the liver and then to the salivary glands. If the target is one pound/head/day, feeding three pounds of a range cube every third day works just as well.

Finally, if forage very is limiting – like in a drought – there will be no additional forage available to support the “increase in feed intake” response from supplemental protein. In this case, you will need to provide additional fiber-based energy products (prairie hay, alfalfa, or corn by-products like distillers grains where starch has been removed).

When dealing with starch in the diet, a little is good, but a lot is not better. Research shows that around 0.35 percent body weight corn will optimize fiber digestion of low-quality forages. Thus, two pounds of corn/day is the maximum that should be fed to a 600-pound heifer. That is where digestion of both corn and fiber is optimized. Beyond that, it becomes counterproductive and often results in a reduction in intake, growth, reproduction and body condition. Keep in mind that in many cases, feeding the proper source and amount of protein does not require additional energy (corn) supplementation.

Ionophores, like Bovatec and Rumensin, are money in the bank. The fiber-based animal will exhale about 11 percent of their carbohydrate-based energy intake in the form of methane. Use of an ionophore, a 48-year-old technology, has an energy sparing effect in the animal by reducing methane losses (studies show 30 to 45 percent reduction in CH4 losses – this is where we say that our cattle industry was “green” before “green” was cool), as well as increasing molar proportion of propionate at the expense of acetate. This effect on VFA profile is a positive shift in energetics within the animal and has been documented to reduce age at puberty.

A quality mineral is an expensive addition, but it is an absolute necessity. Let us rephrase that. A quality free choice mineral is an investment in improving conception rates and weaning weights.

Minerals are involved as a catalyst in nearly every biochemical reaction in the body. They are necessary for proper energy metabolism, reproduction, immune response, and the list goes on and on. Never go cheap on feeding mineral. It’s an invaluable component of your herd’s nutritional profile 24/7/365.

When free choice minerals are consumed, they are utilized twice in the animal. Initially, the rumen microbes will use these minerals to catalyze all the bacterial enzymatic reactions required to convert cellulose to VFA. Secondly, when those same bacteria are digested in the lower digestive tract, those minerals are then absorbed through the intestines and abomasum to supply the body with essential minerals as discussed above.

Dormant and drought affected forages are very poor sources of mineral. Not only are overall mineral levels much reduced vs. green forage, lignin (a non-digestible cellulose fraction abundant in mature forages) binds both proteins and minerals to make them unavailable to the grazing ruminant.

Like the discussion on energy and protein, not all sources of minerals are the same. Availability of copper oxide is 0 to 10 percent, copper sulfate at 60 to 70 percent, while chelated minerals approach 100 percent.

Read the labels. Do business with reputable nutritionists and feed companies. You get what you pay for.

To summarize the above:

1) Feed a high-quality protein cube during pregnancy, dormancy, and winter conditions to improve intake, digestibility and reproductive performance of mature cows, heifers, bulls, and replacements.

2) Cattle need access to a suitable free choice mineral 24/7/365.

3) Limit starch intake on low quality forages to no more than 0.35 percent of body weight – and be sure to feed a protein supplement when feeding starch.

Dr.’s Corners and Sides would like to dedicate this article to the men upon whose shoulders we are now standing. Without their mentorship, encouragement and guidance, this paper would not have been possible. These outstanding men are: Dr. Joe D. Wallace, retired, Professor of Beef Cattle Nutrition, NMSU; Dr. Jim Davis, retired, Professor of Animal Science, Murray State University; Dr. Bill McCullough, retired, Beef Cattle Nutritionist, Moorman Mfg. Co.

Fresh Tomato, Beef & Penne Pasta

25 Minutes

4 Servings

8 Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Ground Beef (93 percent lean or leaner)

3 teaspoons fresh minced garlic

2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta, cooked

2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

Step 1:

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add Ground Beef and garlic; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. Pour off drippings.

Cooking Tip: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed Ground Beef. Ground Beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of Ground Beef doneness.

Step 2:

Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper; cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and basil; toss. Sprinkle with cheese.

Nutrition information per serving: 342 Calories; 88.2 Calories from fat; 9.8g Total Fat (4 g Saturated Fat; 0.03 g Trans Fat; 0.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat; 3.6 g Monounsaturated Fat;) 87 mg Cholesterol; 583 mg Sodium; 31 g Total Carbohydrate; 2.3 g Dietary Fiber; 32 g Protein; 4.6 mg Iron; 685 mg Potassium; 9.3 mg NE Niacin; 0.5 mg Vitamin B6; 2.8 mcg Vitamin B12; 7.3 mg Zinc; 45 mcg Selenium; 106.6 mg Choline.

Nutrition Tip: This recipe is an excellent source of Protein, Iron, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Zinc, and Selenium; and a good source of Potassium, and Choline.

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