Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Fall 2007 (Vol. 39, No. 4)

Trace mineralized salt is the most common method of delivering trace minerals to livestock. Properly fortified trace mineralized salt ensures regular intake of the trace elements and has proven to be an efficacious method of providing micro-mineral nutrition under a wide variety of production environments. This article examines research has evaluated injectable trace minerals and long-acting boluses and compares these alternative delivery methods to the more familiar use of trace mineral salt.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Summer 2007 (Vol. 39, No. 3)

The vast majority of beef calves are born in the spring and sold in the fall as feeder calves. The process of weaning, shipping, and adjustment to a feed­lot environment exposes the calves to numerous stressors. This stress often reduces feed and water intakes and increases their susceptibility to respira­tory tract and other infec­tious disease. Zinc, copper, selenium and to lesser extents manganese and cobalt have been shown to play an important role in maximizing the immune response of cattle.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Spring 2007 (Vol. 39, No. 2)

With rapidly increasing grain prices there is renewed interest in optimizing beef production from grazing systems. Rotational grazing, sometimes referred to as management intensive grazing, can increase beef production per acre by 30% compared to traditional grazing methods. The most common form of rotational grazing requires large pastures to be subdivided into smaller paddocks. These paddocks are grazed for 2-4 days and then the cattle are rotated to a new paddock. Often 10 or more paddocks are involved so that grazing occurs at roughly 30-day intervals. Salt can be a major management tool to deliver rotational grazing. Besides the increased beef production per acre there are several ecological benefits from properly managed rotational grazing systems. First, more uniform grazing prevents bare spots that often result from localized grazing. In most rotational grazing systems, the cattle will be moved when the forages has been grazed to a height of 2-3 inches. This reduces wind and water erosion by maintaining a uniform forage cover. With rotational grazing the feces and urine are more evenly distributed across the paddock rather then being concentrated in resting areas as often occurs with traditional grazing methods. This improves nutrient recycling and increases forage production.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Winter 2007 (Vol. 38, No. 4)

Reading the label is not the same as understanding what you read. Don’t mistake the mineral concentration in the salt mix with dietary concentration. Mineral in a trace min­eralized salt mix can be quite high relative to the concentration in the normal diet. The salt mix is typically included at less than one percent of the total diet, so it will not cause a toxicity problem. Because of the different units and calculations involved, many produc­ers often assume that the ingredient with the highest concentrations is the cause of their problem. However, knowing the intake and nutrient concentration for each ingredient of the diet is essential to determine the true source of the toxicity.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Fall 2006 (Vol. 38, No. 3)

Approximately 35 million acres of tall fescue grown annually, much of it for cow-calf forage. Calves are shipped from the Southeast states to the high plains or Corn Belt for finishing after weaning. Because these calves are often “put-together” in small lots, feedlot managers have traditionally expected a higher incidence of health problems and death loss compared to single source cattle. Recent research suggests that prior nutrition may be a key factor affecting their susceptibility to disease when entering the feedlot. Tall fescue presents unique nutritional challenges inviting greater use of trace mineral supplementation.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Summer 2006 (Vol. 38, No. 2)

The supply of byproduct feeds is expected to increase rapidly in the future. Most byproduct feeds will be priced on their energy value relative to corn. Because most byproducts are high in fiber, the efficiency of digestion is greater with ruminants than monogastric animals. When used as a supplement for high-forage diets, their energy value can be as high as 125% of corn. Energy is often the first limiting nutrient for grazing animals. Hand-feeding byproducts to grazing animals has significant management and labor challenges. Since salt-limited supplementation of grazing animals is a proven technology, producers should examine the opportunities of combining salt-limited supplementation with byproduct feeding to improve the profitability of grazing animals.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Spring 2006 (Vol. 38, No. 1)

Detection of cadmium in some phosphate and zinc sulfate fertilizers means that livestock producers need to be aware of the possibility of cadmium toxic­ity in environments where it has not been a problem previously. Some researchers suspect that cadmium is being taken up by certain plants and thus plays a greater role in fescue toxicosis and grass tetany then previ­ously believed. Dietary copper, zinc, iron and selenium can have a major impact on cadmium absorption and retention. Feeding a well-fortified trace mineral salt is the first line of defense to minimize the risk of cadmium toxicity in live­stock and poultry.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Winter 2006 (Vol. 37, No. 4)

Because horses are rarely fed totally mixed rations (i.e. the forage is fed separately from the grain ration), it is difficult to measure mineral intakes. While weight gain, milk production, or fertility rates can be used to evaluate mineral nutrition programs in cattle, pigs and poultry, these quantitative measures are less appropriate for horses. Skeletal development and soundness are much more important in horses and mineral deficiencies may not be easily detected. Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, copper, zinc, iodine, selenium, potassium and magnesium are special considerations, as is the zinc-to-copper ratio.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.
Salt Institute
Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter
Fall 2005 (Vol. 37, No. 3)

Dietary sodium is essential to life and health, in humans as in livestock and poultry. Tables of the sodium content of common forages have overestimated sodium. Producers should insist on proper sodium nutrition and use the new tables, included in this article. But average values for sodium concentration are of limited value due to the high standard deviation around the mean for most feedstuffs. Many samples of individual feedstuffs may contain so little sodium that they make a negligible contribution to the sodium nutrition of the animal. Providing adequate salt in the diet or feeding it free-choice to grazing animals is the best way to ensure their sodium requirement is being met.

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Summer 2005 (Vol. 37, No. 2)

Cobalt is recognized as essential for vitamin B12 synthesis, but more recently has been found to improve fiber digestion in the rumen independent of its role as part of vitamin B12. Likewise, scientists have discovered by ruminants respond to cobalt supplementation while monogastrics do not: while ruminants synthesize the vitamin in their guts, monogastric animals do not have a bacterial population in the gut that can synthesize sufficient vitamin B12, so monogastrics must get B12 in their diets. Cobalt deficiency retards the complex process of synthesizing vitamin B12.