Summer
Supplementation Pays—Definitely
Patrick B. Whidden, PAS
 Popular opinion says there’s
no need to supplement beef cattle grazing summer pasture. Contrary,
there can be
reasons and conditions that merit summer supplementation:
•
Forage quality declines over the summer to below the
requirements of several classes of beef cattle.
•
Nutrient intake declines because forage intake can
decline due to forage maturity, heat stress, rainy
conditions and insect nuisance.
•
Forage type (i.e., – low protein limpograss) and fertility.
Various classes of beef cattle can clearly improve
performance due to summer supplementation:
Cows with Calves. University of Florida research
demonstrated improved calf weaning weights and cow
body condition scores when liquid supplements were
provided from June through weaning.
• In an average of three trials, calf gains were increased
by 26 lbs. Using this information, if your cattle were
supplemented 75 days and the cow-calf pair consumed
31/2 lb Fully Fortified® Suga-Lik® per day, the breakeven
selling price of your calves would need to be $62 cwt
to cover the summer supplement cost.
• In these same trials, cows also gained weight; roughly
enough to equate gaining an additional 1/2 -point of
body condition score (BCS). Cows with better scores
breed back earlier (Purdue University research), have
higher conception rates (numerous university trials)
and wean heavier calves the following year (various
university trials). These factors all contribute to
ranch profitability!
Weaned Calves. Another three University of Florida
trials evaluated supplementing fall born calves, weaned in June,
retained and grazed on summer bahia pastures. Calf gains were improved
from 0.66 lb/day to 1.31 lb/day. Using
this information, if you supplemented your weaned,
retained calves 105 days and the calves consumed 5 lb
Fully Fortified® Suga-Lik® per day, the breakeven selling
price of your calves would need to be $46 cwt to cover
the summer supplement cost.
Yearling Heifers. In yet another three University of
Florida trials, yearling heifers grazing summer bahia grass pastures
had high gains (1.82 lb/day) while consuming molasses-based
liquid supplements. Larger heifers that have attained at least
65% of their mature weight, will likely breed as yearlings and
have the opportunity to be significantly more productive
over their lifetime.
Explore the potential
for additional ranch
profits by strategically
using a Fully Fortified® Suga-Lik® product
this summer.
Free-Choice
Mineral Consumption Varies So Much
Chet Fields,
Ph.D., PAS
 We’re frequently asked the question, “Why does intake
of free-choice mineral vary so much?” Numerous research
studies have proven beyond doubt that insofar as essential
minerals are concerned, cattle have about as much nutritional
wisdom as teenage children. Maybe unbelievable...but true!
The only essential mineral for which cattle exhibit any
nutritional wisdom is sodium, an element commonly supplemented
as sodium chloride (salt). As such, any factor that increases sodium
excretion
or demand by cattle will
increase free-choice sodium
(salt) intake. Some of these
factors include body weight,
lactation, growth, pregnancy,
ambient temperature/humidity,
feed digestibility, and feed
composition. During late spring
and early summer forage quality typically increases. As
digestibility of feed increases, feed and water intake increase.
This results in increased urine volume, increased urinary
and fecal loss of sodium and subsequently greater
voluntary sodium intake. Similarly, higher protein
diets result in greater voluntary water intake than
lower protein diets. Again, greater urine volume
with subsequent increased sodium excretion
results in greater voluntary sodium intake.
Physiological
status of the cattle also has a
profound influence on sodium requirement and
hence voluntary sodium intake. The sodium
requirement for a 1000 lb cow increases from
a minimum of about 17 grams of sodium/day
(equivalent to 1.5 ounces of salt) for an open,
dry, 1000 lb cow at 77°F or less to about
33 grams of sodium/day (equivalent to
3 ounces of salt) for the same cow, 200
days in milk, with a 450 lb calf at an
ambient temperature of 86° or higher.
The amount of supplemental sodium
consumed will depend upon how much of
the cow’s sodium requirement is met by
sodium in the pasture and drinking water.
U.S. Sugar’s Florida bahia grass forage data
base containing over 800 sodium assays
indicates that the concentration of sodium
in bahia will vary from a low of about 0.01%
in July and August to a high of about 0.03%
in December and January (see chart). These
levels, while quite variable, provide a very
small portion of the cow’s sodium requirement
(less than 3 grams/hd/day). Similarly, a limited
number of drinking water assays indicate that drinking water
for cattle on Florida ranches seldom exceeds about 40 ppm.
This equates to less than 2 grams of sodium per head/day.
The chart below shows how much range mineral cattle
will likely consume to meet their sodium requirement at
various stages of reproduction.
Fully Fortified® Suga-Lik® products are formulated to
meet the cow’s requirements for all essential minerals,
including sodium.
Call the dealer nearest you or 800-940-7253 or
visit www.suga-lik.com
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