From risk to reward for beef producers grazing winter pastures

Grass tetany (hypomagnesaemia) is one of the leading causes of mortality in adult cows in south-eastern Australia and is estimated to cost $13.7 million in lost production annually.1

Autumn and winter of 2021 and 2022 were two of the most challenging grass tetany seasons on record, with some regions in southern Australia reporting cattle losses in the thousands.

Although Monaro producers are expected to experience a drier winter compared to recent years, the AusFarm Nutrition Products (ANP) team are reminding producers to be vigilant this year when grazing lush green pasture or running cattle on soils that are low in magnesium and other essential minerals.

On the back of two challenging seasons in a row, Micheal Savli, ANP’s Technical Manager, is determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in 2023. “Last year was a shocking year for grass tetany, we heard reports of some regions losing cattle in the thousands.”

“This season is shaping up to be very similar, and I’m going to do what I can to prevent the same thing from happening again,” Mr Savli said.

“With the onset of grass tetany being so sudden, and the first symptom usually being death, it is important to understand how to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place.”

The successful prevention of grass tetany can be achieved by a multifactorial approach that aims at:

1. A llowing animals access to continuous supplies of adequate levels of magnesium

2. Maximising absorption of magnesium in the gastrointestinal tract by delivering available sources of magnesium

3. Elevating the body magnesium status of animals with a magnesium supplement well before grass tetany is recognised

4. Identifying agronomic practises that can reduce absorption or interfere with normal magnesium metabolism.

Mr Savli points out that the right supplement is also a key consideration.

“It’s important to understand that not all magnesium supplements are equal, and it’s valuable to know what you’re feeding and whether it’s the best solution for you.”

Recent studies have shown that on top of reducing the risk of grass tetany, feeding the right magnesium supplement can boost feed conversion efficiency and liveweight gains in livestock grazing green feed and low magnesium pastures.

James Waugh and the team at South East Rural Supplies in Cooma can assist with a customised management program to lower the risk of grass tetany and boost production over the cooler months.

ANP’s HiMag range not only reduces the risk of grass tetany but boost’s feed efficiency, live weight gain and milk production.

StockGro-HiMag is a high magnesium, molasses based, liquid feed supplement specifically designed to assist in the control of grass tetany while achieving rapid weight gain in cattle grazing winter pastures.

StockMins-BoviMag is a highly palatable, weatherproof, loose-lick supplement offering magnesium from various sources to optimise magnesium availability and absorption by the animal.

StockMins-BoviMag can boost growth and prevent the onset of magnesium deficiencies such as grass tetany.

For producers looking to maximise production over winter, StockGro-HiMag and StockMins-BoviMag can also be supplied with the inclusion of Bovatec®, an ionophore lasalocid that has been shown to generate up to 14% extra growth in livestock grazing lush green pasture.2 Don’t wait until it’s too late, talk to the team at South East Rural Supplies today and turn your winter grazing risk into production reward.

1. Priority list of endemic diseases for the red meat industry - 2022 update. Meat and Livestock Australia, 2022. 2. Zoetis Data on file. ®Bovatec is a registered product of Zoetis Pty Ltd. StockGro-HiMag and StockMins-BoviMag are products of AusFarm Nutrition Products.