Cattle Archives - Kissimmee Valley Feed

Archive for the ‘Cattle’ Category

The Benefits of Fall Forage for Your Livestock

Friday, September 8th, 2023

The Benefits of Fall Forage for Your Livestock: Fall is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start thinking about fall forage for your livestock. As the temperature cools and the days get shorter, it’s important to ensure that your animals are getting the right nutrients to maintain their body condition going into the winter months. Let’s go over some of the benefits of fall forage! Check out all things related to animal health available at Kissimmee Valley Feed here.

Nutritional Benefits

Fall forage is an excellent source of nutrition for your livestock. It’s packed with nutrients that can help them maintain their body condition and keep them healthy throughout the winter. For example, clover is a great source of protein and energy, while alfalfa is high in calcium and phosphorus. Rye grass, on the other hand, is an excellent source of fiber and can help keep your animals’ digestive system healthy.

Cost-Effective

Fall forage can be a cost-effective way to feed your animals. Growing your own forage can be cheaper than purchasing feed from a store, and it can also help you save on labor costs. Furthermore, depending on where you live, fall forage can often be grown as a double crop, meaning you can get more than one harvest per year from the same field.

Environmentally Friendly

Growing your own fall forage is also environmentally friendly. By growing your own forage, you can reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating the need for transportation of feed. Additionally, fall forage can help improve soil health and prevent soil erosion, which can help to preserve the environment for future generations.

Improves Livestock Health

Fall forage can also help to improve your animals’ overall health. A diet rich in fall forage can help to boost their immune system, making them more resistant to diseases and infections. Additionally, fall forage can help to promote healthy weight gain and improve milk production in dairy cows.

Versatile

Finally, fall forage is incredibly versatile. Depending on your animals’ nutritional needs, you can choose to grow a variety of different forages. This means you can customize your feeding program to meet the specific needs of your animals, ensuring that they stay healthy and happy throughout the fall and winter months.

Fall forage is an essential part of any livestock feeding program. It’s not only nutritionally beneficial but also cost-effective and environmentally friendly. So, as the autumn season approaches, be sure to start thinking about fall forage for your livestock. Your animals (and your wallet) will thank you for it!

Posted in Articles, Cattle | Comments Off on The Benefits of Fall Forage for Your Livestock

Cattle Mineral Tips for Fall

Friday, September 1st, 2023

Fall is approaching, which means it’s time to prepare your herd for the months ahead. Cattle nutrient requirements vary from season to season, so it’s important to evaluate the effectiveness of your feed program. Check out these tips for creating a healthy mineral program and preparing your cattle for fall.

Quick, timely considerations for your Purina cattle mineral program.

Understand your phosphorus levels as grasses dry down. For grass low in phosphorus, consider a high-phosphorus cattle mineral to meet animal needs.
Continue using Purina® Wind and Rain® Storm® Fly Control Mineral with Altosid® (IGR) 30 days after the first frost to prevent flies from overwintering and jump-starting spring populations.
Building base mineral and vitamin stores pre-weaning can help calves stay healthy. Provide Purina® Stress Tubs for calves in the creep feeder cage. If you don’t creep feed, make sure calves have access to a cattle mineral feeder with the rest of the cow herd.
Cows may crave salt more as grasses dry down. It can be helpful to provide additional salt in a granular mineral mix. Provide free-choice salt if using a cattle mineral tub that does not contain salt (i.e. non-complete).

Try Purina® minerals today through the Feed Greatness® Challenge and prepare your cattle for fall.

Source: Kent Tjardes, Ph.D., Field Cattle Consultant

Posted in Articles, Cattle | Comments Off on Cattle Mineral Tips for Fall

Come Rain or Shine: Altosid IGR Field Study

Thursday, July 20th, 2023

Purina's Wind and Rain with Altosid IGR Come Rain or Shine: Altosid IGR Field Study – Much like the weather, fly populations can be a bit unpredictable during certain times of year. That’s often been the case with horn flies on pasture cattle. Populations have been known to rise after heavy rainfall events. This has created some mild concerns as producers question whether their feed-through fly control products are working effectively. To learn more, Purina sent a team into the field to see the effect heavy rainfall has on Altosid IGR.

After conducting a study on various regions throughout the country, their team of experts came back with the same conclusion: heavy rainfall events can lead to a brief spike in horn fly numbers among cattle being treated with Altosid IGR. Yet all fly populations in the study returned to their normal levels of control within 1-2 weeks.

This information alone can be comforting. However, we wanted to provide treatment tips to help producers plan for and address these population spikes. Following these recommendations can work as an insurance against rising fly populations after heavy rainfall events.

Fly Control Tips:

Monitor your local weather forecast to better predict when to begin treatments for each season.
If you are already feeding Altosid IGR and notice fly populations exceeding the economic threshold following a rainfall event, knockdown adult fly populations with a spray such as Prolate/Lintox HD^™ Insecticidal Spray and Backrubber from Starbar^® Products.
Continue feeding Altosid IGR! The product is still working to provide effective horn fly control, and should limit populations to their expected levels within a few weeks of the rain.
Remember to feed Altosid IGR all the way through the season and 30 days after the last frost. This helps producers account for the unpredictability of the seasons and help limit the overwintering flies that will jumpstart the population the following spring.

Altosid IGR delivers effective horn fly control that producers have relied upon for nearly 50 years. While heavy rainfall may produce a brief uptick in horn fly numbers, producers that weather the storm and continue feeding Altosid IGR can help keep their cattle healthy and profitable all season long.

We offer Purina’s Wind & Rain Storm Fly Minerals, which are designed to reduce fly populations. Check out Kissimmee Feed’s Cattle Supplies here. Flies cause significant discomfort for cattle. As part of an integrated fly control program, Purina’s Wind and Rain with Altosid (MTH), helps restore cattle comfort while reducing factors that cause poor performance, and decreased grazing time. 225 lbs.

Article Source: Central Life Sciences.

Posted in Articles, Cattle, News & Updates | Comments Off on Come Rain or Shine: Altosid IGR Field Study

11 Tips to Curb Heat Stress in Cattle

Wednesday, July 12th, 2023

Water, shade and the right nutrition can help mitigate heat stress in cattle.

The weather report says it’s going to be a scorcher, and sure enough – the temperatures start steadily climbing. Cattle start grouping in shady spots. A few cows start panting to stay cool. The flies settle in. And, suddenly, you’ve got a herd struggling with heat stress.

The heat may be unavoidable, but you can take proactive steps to mitigate its impact on your herd. First, let’s look at the dangers of heat stress in cattle.

When temperatures rise

Cattle have sweat glands, but it’s not a very efficient way for them to cool off. Instead, they rely on respiration, or opening their mouths and panting, to help them dissipate heat. When it’s 80 degrees or hotter out, their ability to regulate their own temperature becomes a big challenge. You start to see behavior changes – more time in the shade, less time grazing and increased water consumption.

To make the heat even more challenging:

A cow’s rumen activity naturally increases body heat. Fermentation occurs in the rumen, producing heat as bacteria break down and digest forages.
Cattle seek shade to help keep cool. Grouping up in the shade sometimes has the reverse effect and creates a lot of radiant heat between cows. The thermometer might read 90 degrees, but the temperature in the middle of the group could be much hotter.
Crowded cattle attract more flies, causing animals to move even closer together to protect themselves.
Animals with dark hides have a higher risk of suffering heat stress than those with lighter-colored hides.

Suddenly your herd feels overheated and cattle are less likely to graze.

When grazing stops

Forage is the number one nutrition source for cows on pasture. If they aren’t grazing as much during a heatwave, they’re probably not meeting their cattle nutrition requirements.

When cows don’t get adequate nutrition, they’re at risk of:

Losing body condition
Taking longer to rebreed
Producing less milk for their growing calf
Generating a weaker immune response to health challenges
Long-term fertility consequences

If cattle are too hot to graze, they may also be too hot to consume mineral at target intake levels. If you’re using a fly control mineral and intakes are below target levels, cows no longer benefit from it because they aren’t getting a full dose of fly control.

Curb heat stress in cattle by planning for proper shade, water and the right nutrition program.

11 hot weather tips for cattle

Ensure access to fresh, clean water. A brood cow drinks 25 to 30 gallons of water on a normal day. She’ll drink even more in hot weather.
Check water tanks often to make sure they are clean and free of contamination (algae, feces, organic material, etc.). You might need additional portable tanks to ensure adequate access.
Place water tanks in shaded areas to keep water cool if possible. Keep waterers several feet away from buildings or fences, so cattle can access water from all sides.
Offer supplements to help cows make the most of their forages. Accuration^® Supplements with Intake Modifying Technology^® helps feed necessary rumen microbes to keep cattle eating and encourages snack eating behavior.
Choose a mineral designed for consistent consumption during hot weather, like Purina^®Wind and Rain^® Summer Season Mineral.
Control flies to prevent further stress and grazing disturbance. Purina^®Wind and Rain^® Fly Control Mineral contains Altosid^® IGR, an insect growth regulator offering a beneficial mode of action to deliver fly control via cattle nutrition. Consider Purina^®Wind and Rain^® Fly Control Mineral to stop the horn fly life cycle by preventing pupae from developing into biting, breeding adult flies.
Supply ample shade. Whether it’s provided by trees, a manmade building or portable structures, shade is critical. It might be necessary to move cattle to a pasture with trees or additional shade.
Strategically move rotational grazing herds to fresh pastures in the late afternoon/early evening instead of the morning. Cows will have access to fresh grass when temperatures are beginning to cool and will be more likely to graze.
Work cattle as early in the day as possible when temperatures are lower.
Don’t graze pastures short before moving cows to another. Pastures with taller, thicker grass feels cooler than pastures with short grass where more soil surface is exposed.
Observe cattle frequently and take precautions when hot and humid weather is forecast.

Call or visit Kissimmee Valley Feed to find the right cattle feed and management plan for you!

Article sourced from: Purina

Posted in Articles, Cattle, News & Updates | Comments Off on 11 Tips to Curb Heat Stress in Cattle

Avoid the Summer Pasture Slump

Monday, May 29th, 2023

Avoid the summer pasture slump! The sight of fresh, green pastures as the summer months approach can be a welcome sight for many cattle producers. Especially after feeding costly forages throughout the winter.

However, just as quickly as that green grass comes, the pasture quality can diminish. Subsequently, leaving both pasture and cows’ nutrient deficient.

These potential nutrient deficiencies come at a critical time frame when the cow likely has a calf at side. Most likely, the cow is either on target for re-breeding or is already re-bred and trying to grow her developing calf. Cattle nutrient requirements are high during this period. There are a few ways to prepare for a decline in pasture quality.

Forages mature as the summer goes on, losing nutrients, specifically protein, and allowing cows to lose body condition.

If forages are running under 7 percent protein, then you likely don’t have enough protein to support the cow and her calf. The majority of producers across the United States, unless they have some high-quality forages stockpiled, are not above that level and will need to find additional nutrient sources.

Additional nutrient sources:

Protein supplements can be used to help avoid this slip in condition. Especially late summer and into fall when cattle pasture grasses can be at their lowest nutrition value.

Adding protein tubs or blocks are two ways a producer can supplement their cow herd during this time of high nutrient requirements. Protein supplements can be fed from mid to late summer through mid-fall. During the winter months cubes can be added. This helps to meet energy requirements.

Protein supplements should be added before cattle start losing body condition. It pays to plan ahead for pastures that may become nutrient deficient. In most cases, pastures see a significant decline in nutrients in the August to September timeframe. Evaluating your pasture at various times throughout the summer, specifically mid- to late-summer, and adding a supplement before the pasture quality is too far diminished will help avoid a slip in body condition.

Protein deficiency may become a herd health challenge if pastures are not adequately managed. Symptoms include reduced intake and forage digestibility, reduced growth rate (both fetus and calf), loss of weight, inadequate intake of other nutrients, delayed estrus, irregular estrus, poor conception rate and reduced milk production.

It all narrows down to making sure your cows have what they need, when they need it. If they’re not getting the complete nutrition they need when the pasture is at its worst quality, you will likely see challenges develop.

These challenges may be easily avoided. Implementing a protein supplement program is the best way. Does your nutrition program stack up? Avoid the summer pasture slump by calling or visiting the Kissimmee Valley Feed Store #1 location. We are stocked with nutrients for your cattle.

Posted in Articles, Cattle, News & Updates | Comments Off on Avoid the Summer Pasture Slump