Crystalyx Block Blog

A Great Winter for Feeding CRYSTALYX®

Mark Robbins — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 02:44:00 -1100

I was riding through Montana last week with a sales associate, and one of his comments regarding the year we have been having was, “What a great winter for feeding CRYSTALYX®!” I have heard this comment many times over the years when we have had a milder fall/winter. The thinking behind the statement is, that where we have had very little snow cover and warmer than usual temperatures this fall, your cattle have a great opportunity to put on extra weight, while grazing stockpiled forages, being supplemented only with CRYSTALYX®. If temperatures were colder the weight gain may not be as much. If there was consistent snow cover, it is more likely that you would need to begin feeding hay, and that would greatly increase your expenses for labor, fuel equipment and the hay itself. Cattle grazing pastures on CRYSTALYX® supplements this fall have been putting on weight with a minimal amount of investment on the part of their owners

We have many customers who plan to supplement their herd throughout the winter with CRYSTALYX®. In the north, they generally start feeding CRYSTALYX® if not at weaning, soon after. This allows those herds to gain significant weight when maintenance and lactation energy requirements plummet after weaning. As stated above, warmer weather lowers maintenance energy requirements, and that extra energy will spill over into extra weight gain, as well. This added condition that you can put on your cows in the milder months of the fall can be looked upon as money saved in the bank, that can be spent later in the Winter if, or when the weather gets much colder. Depending upon the winter and your geographic location, those colder events may be minimal. And, once again, we hear the statement “What a great winter for feeding CRYSTALYX®!”

From a nutritional standpoint, every fall and winter can be a great winter for feeding CRYSTALYX®.” There will be times when the temperatures and snow cover warrant feeding more forage to provide more energy to the cow in order to reach your desired body condition score by calving. Normal intakes of CRYSTALYX® beef protein products will supply the needed protein, trace minerals and vitamins for your beef herd. When feeding a CRYSTALYX® beef protein product in the third trimester of gestation, the addition of a CRYSTALYX® mineral formula like, Mineral-lyx™, Crystal-Phos® 8 or Breed-Up® MAX, will ensure adequate phosphorus in your herd’s diet.

We should all remember that the CRYSTALYX® feeding program, is not a rescue program. If you are looking to put one condition score or more on a cow in 2-3 weeks, you will need to feed a hand fed supplement at several pounds a day to push that much energy in to a cow. The CRYSTALYX® program is more of a marathon approach than a sprint. You can go a lot farther in a marathon than in a sprint, but you should probably start earlier.

CRYSTALYX® Brand Supplements are available to your herd 24/7, and are an excellent way to increase the utilization of your forage, with minimal input for time, labor, equipment and delivery cost. All costs considered, CRYSTALYX® will give you the lowest cost per hear per day, with optimal results in your herd.

Mark Robbins

Focus on Gut Health and Immunity of Cattle

Tim Clark — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 03:33:00 -1100

Managing Beef Cow and Calf Health

We are just over 12 months away from the Veterinary Feed Directive being fully implemented in January of 2017. We will still have antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of disease but with added paper work and expense. The VFD will ultimately increase transparency in our industry, generate more accurate animal antibiotic usage records and hopefully improve consumer confidence in our meat, milk and eggs.

Increased Focus on Prevention

Clinical disease is when a pathogen enters the body and causes sickness. This blog will focus on one route for pathogens to enter the body. Below are a list of questions or observations that focus on gut health and how important maintaining a healthy digestive system really is from an immune system standpoint. The college football “play offs” have just been announced which means we can finally get serious about college basketball. In celebration, I will use basketball analogies throughout this blog. Gut health is the point guard of the immune system! If your point guard is having an off night, things may not go well. If your point guard gets injured, you could be sick at the end of the game. A team has multiple players each with a specific but related role. We have an increased understanding of the complexity of the immune system and how specific nutrients may enhance the immune response. We can’t discuss all the players in the immune system in a single blog, so there will be more information later.

1. Defense wins games. Skin is the first line of defense in preventing disease and keeping pathogens out! How often does a simple scratch turn into a painful, festering sore? There is actually more exposed surface area in the digestive system than on the outside of the animals’ body. When you get down to the villi level, the surface area increases even more. An injured gut increases the odds that pathogens will enter the body.

2. Clinical disease is a numbers game. There are always some bad guys, it is just a matter of keeping them under control by limiting their numbers and maintaining a strong immune system defense. What if basketball had a penalty box like hockey? Christian Laettner in a penalty box would have changed several games. Any injury or insult to the digestive system, such as a short period of low rumen pH (SARA), can shift the balance toward more bad bugs. Are there nutritional tools and management changes we can make to decrease the pathogen load of our beef cows, dairy cows and calves?

3. An effective offense takes a great deal of energy for the players and mounting an immune response is energy intensive for our cattle. Energy drain is a common observation when we humans are fighting a bug. The same holds true for our animals. The lining of the rumen and intestines is where our cattle absorb their energy and nutrients. Damage caused by SARA and the colonization of pathogens on the gut lining decreases absorption capacity and energy status of the animal.

4. A strong team is developed, must work together and basic skills matter. Having multiple McDonald’s All American players on the team does not guarantee a new banner in the rafters. From a cattle health standpoint, we need to look all the way back to nutrition of the dam during pregnancy. We will be missing the mark if we are focused only on today and searching for a single magical fix. For calves, the basics of immunity is maternal transfer of antibodies in the colostrum. Improved gut health and a high plane of nutrition for the cow during pregnancy will have a long lasting impact on calf health. Colostrum management can be the greatest area of opportunity for improved calf health.

CRYSTALYX® Brand Supplements has expanded its product offering to include more non-antibiotic feed additives that will assist in reducing our reliance on antibiotics by maintaining gut health and stimulating immunity. There will be more blogs and information on this subject and products as we work to help you manage your cattle’s health and performance.

Tim Clark

How Does Pasture Cost Affect Your Supplementation Decisions

Dr. Dan Dhuyvetter — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 02:31:00 -1100

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Range Beef Cow Symposium in Loveland, Colorado. This educational program is designed specifically for cow-calf producers grazing rangelands in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. There were over 800 producers, University faculty and students and beef industry representatives who attended with a variety of topics dealing with all aspects of economics, production management, genetics, reproduction, market/consumer trends and enterprise management.

One topic that started off the symposium was a presentation on cattle economics looking towards the future. James Robb, Ag Economist with the Livestock Market Information Center reviewed a number of factors within the beef industry as well as for competing animal proteins. He then took a look at production costs and how they have dramatically increased, especially in the last 5 years, up to over $900 per cow! He said not to look at things we have usually singled out in the past like increased oil/gas prices as they are not the culprit. In particular, he mentioned how costs associated with pasture rents have been a major source of these increases and they do not look at retreating anytime soon. In the past, feeding hay was the most expensive thing we did, today opening the pasture gate is a closer second. His words of encouragement to “Look hard at getting the most out of your forages” seemed to beg for a follow-up topic to address his challenge. But there really wasn’t anything to follow that went ahead and provided guidance or potential options that maximize forage utilization.

So many times when we talk about supplement programs that incorporate CRYSTALYX® Brand Supplements we feel one of the biggest talking points is regarding effects on the cattle. Ultimately this is what pays the bills, but it’s through the efficient harvesting of forage we are able to maximize our profitability. There are a couple of key areas where we have considerable research that helps ensure you “Get the most out of your Forages”. First there is providing rumen degradable protein in our protein supplements to help improve low quality forage digestibility and increase forage intake. This favorably increases microbial growth in the rumen, which helps cattle get more from your pastures.

The second area and one that is often overlooked, is the power that CRYSTALYX® has on grazing distribution. Because of the palatable nature of CRYSTALYX® you can simply locate barrels in underutilized areas of your pastures and provide an incentive for cattle to stay in that location and graze forages they typically might avoid. The grazing distribution work that has been done in the past easily demonstrates both cattle and pasture benefits of managing your pastures with CRYSTALYX® supplementation. The link to the detailed Grazing Management research is below.

Grazing Management Video

Providing key nutrients to your cow-calf herd is of utmost importance to maximize your genetics while optimizing performance, given the resources that you have on hand. Forages that have limited use other than through ruminant animals converting them to consumable protein are a, if not the, primary resource at your fingertips and holds true throughout North America.

It appears that the top of the cattle cycle has been reached and we are now looking at prices coming down. That said, we are still in very profitable conditions when comparing to past years. Ok, here come my corny analogies. So if last year was a homerun, we still have doubles and possibly triples ahead. A good supplementation program like CRYSTALYX® can help you gain extra bases by stealing more energy from forages that you already have on hand.

CRYSTALYX® … Give it a Ride!

Dr. Dan Dhuyvetter

CRYSTALYX® Production Efficiency is the Answer to Falling Prices

Jackie Nix — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:21:00 -1100

In light of recent drops in cattle prices, it is understandable that cattle producers are looking for ways to protect their investments. One such way is to reduce input costs. Considering that 80% of the cost of raising cattle comes from feed, one obvious way to do this is to optimize digestion efficiency. We can optimize digestion efficiency through two simple concepts- feed the rumen and protect the gut.

FEED THE RUMEN

As we all know, when feeding a cow, we are actually feeding rumen microbes. When we promote the right combination of microbes and give them the conditions they need to thrive, they will break down forages, especially lower quality forages, more quickly and more efficiently, thus providing more nutritional value to the cow.

Protein. Rumenally available protein is a limiting factor in fiber fermentation. Protein is a key component needed for microbes to digest fiber. Additionally, inadequate dietary protein depresses appetite, reducing the amount of fiber available for the microbes to eat. Protein supplementation improves the microbes’ ability to digest low quality forages and increases forage intake, which in the end increases the number of microbes available for digestion by the ruminant. The result is increased protein and energy over the actual value of the hay itself.

As far as the microbes are concerned, it doesn’t matter if protein comes from natural protein sources or NPN. In fact, research has shown that microbes digest fiber in low quality hay moderately better with the addition of NPN-containing protein supplements vs. all natural protein supplementation. This is because 100% of NPN is available in the rumen, while not all of the natural protein is available to the microbes. However, both NPN-containing and all natural protein supplements improved fiber digestibility over hay alone.

Minerals. Rumen microbes require essential minerals to support the fermentation process. Some key minerals needed include phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and cobalt. Generally, when we provide for the cow’s daily requirements, the requirements for the rumen microbes will be covered as well. When deficiencies exist, not only does the cow not have what she needs to perform most efficiently, but also, the microbes cannot fully digest forages, leaving nutrients on the table, furthering the vicious cycle.

Sugar. The main sources of energy in a forage-based diet are sugars and carbohydrates derived from forage fiber fermentation. One of the advantages of a small amount of supplemental molasses sugar as an energy source is that it can be utilized by fiber-digesting microbes, thus enhancing fiber digestion. On contrast, energy derived from a large amount of starch from grain-based feeds, such as corn, suppress fiber digestion.

Giving rumen microbes the nutrients they need to digest low quality forages will increase the overall feed value of those forages and aid in improving feed efficiency.

PROTECT THE GUT

The small intestine is the site of the majority of nutrient absorption in the cow. The intestines host billions of microorganisms. Some are symbiotic and promote good health, while others are parasitic and cause significant damage which interferes with nutrient uptake for the rest of the animal’s life. Ideally, we want to preserve the “good” microorganisms and rid the body of the “bad” microorganisms to optimize nutrient absorption and overall efficiency.

Bio-Mos^®. Bio-Mos^® is a unique product derived from a selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a proprietary process developed by Alltech. Bio-Mos^®is incorporated into animal diets to support gut integrity and overall animal performance. Bio-Mos^®promotes good bacteria and builds defenses, thereby maximizing performance and profitability.

Supplementation with CRYSTALYX® products containing Bio-Mos® can help cattle better utilize available forages and lower your overall feed inputs.

Supplement Options Available

CRYSTALYX^® offers many supplement options that will promote digestive efficiency by feeding the rumen and protecting the gut. All CRYSTALYX^® supplements are molasses-based, so all options deliver readily fermentable sugars that are beneficial to fiber-digesting microbes. Additionally, all are going to deliver various levels of essential minerals needed by the rumen micro-flora and many options deliver supplemental protein. Below are but a few options:

CRYSTALYX^® BGF-20™ with Bio-Mos^® and CRYSTALYX^® BGF-30™ with Bio-Mos^®both deliver recommended levels of Bio-Mos^® in addition to supplemental protein and a complete mineral and vitamin package that provides 100% of NRC-recommended levels of trace minerals.

The CRYSTALYX^® Breed-Up^®20 with Bio-Mos^®, CRYSTALYX^®Breed-Up^®28 with Bio-Mos^®and CRYSTALYX^®Breed-Up^®17 Mag with Bio-Mos^®are designed for pre-calving through breeding. All deliver recommended levels of Bio-Mos^® and are fortified at 200% of NRC-recommended levels of copper and zinc, including highly available, organic forms of copper, zinc, manganese and cobalt. This combination helps cows build adequate body stores needed for optimum growth, calf development, lactation and rebreeding.

These CRYSTALYX^®low moisture block supplements containing Bio-Mos^® are compatible with most Natural Beef Programs; however, you should always confirm that all ingredients listed on the label are compatible with YOUR chosen Natural Beef Program as programs can vary greatly.

When it comes to low moisture blocks, CRYSTALYX^® is the industry standard. Visit www.crystalyx.com or www.bio-mos.com to learn more about these products or call your local CRYSTALYX^® representative.

Bio-Mos® is a registered trademark of Alltech

CRYSTALYX^®,BGF-20™, BGF-30™ and Breed-Up^® are registered trademarks of Ridley Block Operations

Jackie Nix

CRYSTALYX® and the New VFD Rules

Jon Albro — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 02:10:00 -1100

By now, more and more producers are learning about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) that will bring about a change in regulating feed-through antibiotics. There’s been a lot of recent popular press and blog chatter on this subject. The intent of the rule, now finalized, isn’t really that different from when it was introduced and debated at the Food and Drug Administration in 2009. The industry comment period has resulting in some changes related to documentation. The final rules have been published this year (June), and have already taken affect for some drugs and more (the main ones concerned in cattle feeds) will go into effect on January 1, 2017.

The rationale behind this rule is the concern about the use of antibiotics in livestock feeds, and the potential for being a causative factor to antibiotic resistance in the human population. Whether you agree with the rule or not, it is going to be the rule that producers, feed producers and veterinarians alike will need to follow. I’d encourage all feed professionals, veterinarians and producers to study the rule and make a game plan in advance on how to comply and evaluate how the rule may affect your operation.

It’s important to note that this rule is not a ban on the use of antibiotics in feeds, and not all antibiotics will be covered under the rule. Some labeling of how and for what the antibiotics can be used for will change. For example feeding CTC for growth promotion will no longer be an approved label. The antibiotics of concern are those that are “medically important for human use,” meaning antibiotics that can be fed to livestock that are also used in human medicine. The most significant of these for beef cattle will be tetracyclines such as Chlortetracycline (CTC), Aureomycin and Sulfas. Ionophores such as Rumensin® and Bovatec®, albeit chemically classified as antibiotics but not used in human medicine, are exempt.

So is CRYSTALYX® affected by this rule?

Directly? No. CRYSTALYX® is not affected by this rule as the brand has no products that include antibiotics under the rule. In fact, all but one CRYSTALYX® product to date are non-medicated and the one that is happens to be Iono-lyx® which contains Bovatec®. You will not need a VFD to feed any CRYSTALYX® product.

Indirectly? Yes: CRYSTALYX® products and the nutritional benefits they provide will only become more important to the overall health and performance of livestock. If our livestock were to rarely get sick or were not put at risk to being sick, there would be no need for antibiotics. Zero risk may not be reality but better nutrition through proper supplementation can greatly enhance immunity and make vaccine programs more effective.

Get off to a right start with CRYSTALYX®

The most crucial times in livestock production systems would have to be the events involved in a starting phase. Calves when born need colostrum in the first few hours for passive immunity. Weaned and receiving calves always perform better and have less sickness if they start consuming feed quickly and get off to a “good start.” Supplemental nutrition to a cow during pregnancy sets up how well the calf in utero will perform later in life. This too could be viewed as a “starting point.” Many CRYSTALYX® products such as Brigade® fed to weaned calves or a product like BGF-30™ used as a supplement to gestating beef cows help provide the “right start.”

Where Do We Go from Here?

Getting a VFD for certain antibiotics to prevent certain problems that have no approved label claim will not be possible. An example of this would be using CTC to prevent pinkeye or foot rot. Again, we will not see feed through antibiotics go away, they will just need to be fed under the guidance of a veterinarian with the producer, feed supplier, and veterinarian all keeping records and following rules of the VFD. CRYSTALYX® has many tools that will only become more helpful in the future. We will be working with our parent company, Alltech, and have manufactured several products to date containing BioPlex® trace minerals for better mineral absorption, Sel-Plex®, a selenium yeast product that can enhance selenium status and immunity, and Bio-Mos® for better gut health. The best cure is prevention and CRYSTALYX® can help. Again, no VFD is required with CRYSTALYX®

Looking ahead, this will only make us better livestock producers. The goal is to utilize better nutrition and management as to be less dependent on antibiotics. The European countries are already dealing with these types of rules and practices. I trust our U.S. industry can handle it too, and only get better.

Jon Albro

Improve Grazing Distribution without Fences

Teri Walsh — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 13:07:00 -1100

Every cattle producer wants to get all they can from their land and cattle. Some times that means running a temporary fence to keep cattle in certain areas they just don’t care to go. What if there was a way to lure cattle to the other end without having to get out the T-posts and post driver? Why not use the supplement you already have to move your cattle around the pasture?

Dr. Derek Bailey, New Mexico State University, has spent many years researching the connection between supplement type and pasture utilization. Research trials in Montana and New Mexico, have shown that cattle accustomed to CRYSTALYX® products will spend the majority of their day within 600 yards of the barrel; even in rough terrain.

These studies also showed a change in forage utilization in areas surrounding the barrel. As the cattle were following the barrel, they consumed the forage in that same area.

Moving you cattle around your pasture isn’t as simple as just putting product in the back corner. Cattle need to be made accustomed to the barrels first. This may take a week or 2 to accomplish. When your cattle are hooked, slowly move the barrels across the pasture. Dr. Bailey’s research suggests no more than 600 yards between new feeding areas. If moving cattle into a wooded or rough terrain area make sure the lead cow knows where you have put the barrels.

Improving distribution in your pastures doesn’t have to mean chasing empty barrels. Cattle producers have the option of the WeatherAll® BioBarrel® Single Trip Container. Your favorite CRYSTALYX® protein supplement and the WeatherAll® BioBarrel® are the perfect combination for this winters’ grazing. A protein supplement, such as Breed-Up® 20 or 28, will keep the rumen working hard to get the most out of dormant forages. The addition of chelated/organic trace minerals means she’s getting the essential trace minerals she needs during gestation with enough to build up her own stores. The WeatherAll® BioBarrel® eliminates the need to get out of the warm pick-up to see how much product is left, or wonder which side of the hill the empty rolled down. As cattle consume the supplement, they often eat the BioBarrel® too. The addition of WeatherAll® means the BioBarrel® stands up to all the snow and rain Mother Nature can dish out.

Treat yourself and your cows and get more out of your pastures this winter. The proven palatability, advanced nutrition and pulling power of CRYSTALYX® in the WeatherAll® BioBarrel® can make your winter grazing program a success. To learn more, visit your local CRYSTALYX® dealer, visit our website CRYSTALYX®.com, or call us at 800-727-2502.

Teri Walsh

Turning the Antibiotics in Animal Production Debate Inside Out

Tim Clark — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 02:07:00 -1100

Focus on Cattle Health and Well Being

There has been a great deal of discussion on antibiotic use in animal agriculture recently. There is a growing list of restaurants that have made public announcements to serve only meat that is antibiotic free. Antibiotic free is not a USDA recognized food label claim. ALL meat, milk and eggs are Antibiotic Free, it is the law. The graphic below by Kansas State University sums it up well.

Subway® was the most recent to join the group that is adding to consumer fear and confusion. Personally, there is a growing list of restaurant establishments that I choose to avoid because I believe they are playing on consumer fear, while hoping for financial gains with deceptive marketing tactics. These announcements are justified by the companies as “just providing what the consumer wants – safe food”. Buying meat and possibly paying more for it because it is promoted as antibiotic free is like paying extra for water that is marketed as wet and free of gasoline. I believe the consumer wants to know their food is handled humanly, safely and with consideration of the impact that production methods/management have on the environment. This is true for all foods not just meat, milk and eggs, but also vegetables, fruit, fish etc. Below is a short list of facts often forgotten by attention grabbing headlines against animal agriculture.

All food products in the grocery store or restaurants are antibiotic free. It’s already the law.
Animal feed has more regulations and rules than the human supplement industry.
Animal agriculture has and will continue to explore natural innovations to promote animal health.
If an animal receives an antibiotic, their meat, milk or eggs are not allowed in the food supply until the USDA established withholding time has been met.
The food safety testing system in the United States for antibiotics and food pathogens is very sensitive; making our food supplies the safest in the world.
The livestock industry is moving to a nationwide program where feeding antibiotics for growth promotion are not allowed and the use of antibiotics for treatment and prevention is under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. This program is called the Veterinarian Feed Directive.

We are all passionate about something. For those involved in the daily care of animals, that passion is often our animal’s health and well-being. There were numerous blogs and postings that followed the Subway® announcement; most notable to me was “Feedyard Foodie” that summarized the statement as “Subway® says a bullet is their treatment of choice for sick animals”. The social media response to the statement resulting in a “clarification” being posted 3 days later that basically said they recognized the need for antibiotics to keep animals healthy and acknowledged items 3 - 6 from the list above (not much marketing advantage when you admit everyone will be following the same rules).

CRYSTALYX® Self Fed Supplements have always promoted animal health and performance by providing an economical and easy to use system for delivering protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and various additives. My recent blog on fighting stress at weaning with Brigade® is an example. You will see a focus on products and formulas that directly impact the gut health of animals as we move forward with less reliance on antibiotics, the Bio-Mos® options already available, are just the beginning. Keeping the gut healthy will be the goal. To tie my ending back to my title, the largest defense system/organ that our animals have is their skin. Turn the animal inside out and the “skin” of the digestive and respiratory system is our focus for natural, non-antibiotic innovations to keep animals, healthy, productive and profitable.

Tim Clark

It's Fall, You're Busy, but don't Forget About the Cows

Dr. Dan Dhuyvetter — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 04:53:00 -1100

My sons and I were on a mission this past long weekend with a road trip to North Dakota to hunt pheasants. It was their MEA (Minnesota Educator Academy) school break, or what we in the past called, “Teachers Convention”, and it is a great time to drive cross country and get out doors. This 670 mile trip took us from Mankato, MN to the North West corner of ND or about 7 miles from Canada and 40 miles from Montana.

It has been a great fall for getting at harvest for the upper Great Plains region in the US. It was very apparent that many of the grain and livestock operations were making good use of their resources by grazing crop aftermath. Cows were scattered across the brown and yellow landscape as we made our way through Minnesota and North Dakota. Access to these grazing acres will clearly help stretch winter forage needs and help reduce the cow herd feed bill.

As a nutritionist by training, I couldn’t help think and actually observe in many of the pastures, some sort of protein supplement to help maximize the use of these dormant, lower quality forages. In many cases it was a combination of ungrazed grass lands intermingled with corn stalks and small grain residues. This truly is what ruminant animals like beef cattle are all about as they can ferment these forages and produce high quality protein in the calf crop soon to weaned. The challenge that we face with lower quality forages typical this time of year is to get the most out of the forage to maintain performance levels of both calves and cows.

In order to keep the calves growing up to weaning as well as maintain or improve body condition for the cow herd, providing supplemental protein is an easy decision to make. It was obvious with the amount of activity in the fields that farmers and ranchers are still busy with harvest, moving hay, and preparing for winter. Use of a self-fed supplements can really help optimize the use of your forages and reduce the need to baby sit your cows when you have a number of other things that need to be done. CRYSTALYX® has several protein supplements that contain not only the protein that you need but also offer balanced mineral and vitamin levels to make sure animal requirements are met. Visit with your local dealer to keep your calves gaining all the way to the weaning finish line and your cows properly prepared for the winter ahead.

And yes, we were able to harvest a few pheasants while leaving an ample supply of foundation bird reserves for next year!

Dr. Dan Dhuyvetter

Watch Out for Moldy Hay This Winter

Jackie Nix — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 05:39:00 -1100

As winter approaches we need to start thinking about feeding hay. This year has been very hit-or-miss in terms of rainfall. Those who got it, got more than enough. And those who didn’t, well... The problem is that most of the available hay is going to come from those areas that received ample rainfall and faced less-than-ideal harvesting conditions. Under those circumstances, mold becomes an issue.

No matter how hard you try, all hay will have at least a small amount of mold. Mold growth can occur in the field during the drying process or after baling. Unless mold is present at a level that it can be readily smelled and seen with the human eye, it usually isn’t an issue for your livestock. Horses and other non-ruminants are most susceptible to mold toxicity; however, ruminants can also be affected under certain circumstances. When mold is obviously present, you need to take action to minimize negative effects caused by dust, mycotoxins and reduced nutritional quality.

The physical dust created by the mold spores can be an issue. Horses are most susceptible and can develop respiratory issues, Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO or heaves). A horse with RAO has a normal temperature and appetite but exhibits labored breathing during exercise with coughing and nasal discharge.

Not all molds produce dangerous mycotoxins and even the ones that do, produce variable amounts. Once again, horses and non-ruminants are most susceptible. Ruminants are protected to some extent due to rumen fermentation, but they are still susceptible when the mycotoxin load is excessive, especially pregnant animals and those under stress. The potential negative effects of mycotoxins include: abortions, reduced feed intake, lowered fertility, suppression of the immune system, lethargy and increased morbidity.

Additionally, heat generated by mold growth can result in significant loss of dry matter and energy within the forages. Carbohydrates are consumed by the mold and heating denatures protein rendering it unavailable for use by the animal. The overall result is poor nutritional quality.

So if you find yourself with moldy hay, what can you do? Below is a list of strategies that you can follow to deal with moldy hay:

The first thing to do is to identify your most “at risk” animals and avoid feeding them moldy hay if possible. Animals deemed to be the most at risk will be non-ruminants, especially horses, and pregnant and/or stressed livestock.
Next identify the least susceptible animals (mature male ruminants, open mature female ruminants) and feed the worst hay to them.
Allow livestock to sort through hay and reject moldy portions. Remove rejected hay and discard.
Another strategy is to dilute the moldy hay with “clean” feed. This can be good quality hay or high fiber feedstuffs such as soyhull pellets, dried distillers’ grains or baled corn stover.
Feed hay outside to minimize respiratory issues due to dust.
If late enough in the season, you can use temporary fencing to take advantage of new spring growth in non-pasture areas to reduce reliance on hay.
In all cases, provide high quality minerals or vitamins and make sure that protein and energy are not lacking in the diet. There are a wide variety of CRYSTALYX^® supplement products that can help you meet these needs. Ask for them by name at your local feed dealer. Livestock on a high nutritional plane will be much more capable of withstanding a temporary encounter with mycotoxins than animals that are lacking.

In the future, consider use of a forage preservative product during adverse hay harvest and storage conditions. One such product is BULLETPROOF^® Forage Preservative that aids in the preservation of dry hay by limiting growth of undesirable yeast and molds. What makes BULLETPROOF^® Forage Preservative different is that sulfur compounds within the product act to scavenge oxygen and produce sulfur dioxide gas which permeates the hay bale to create an environment in which yeasts and molds cannot thrive. As a result of this sulfur gas creation, BULLETPROOF^® Forage Preservative does not need high application rates like those seen with preservative products utilizing organic acids. Low application rates mean no odor and cost effective protection. For more information about BULLETPROOF^® Forage Preservative visit www.bulletproofyourforage.com.

In summary, if you find yourself with moldy hay limit feeding to high risk animals. You can utilize mildly to moderately moldy hay with the strategies discussed earlier. In all cases, be sure to properly supplement animals to make up for nutritional deficiencies in the hay. In the future, use preservative products like BULLETPROOF^® Forage Preservative to inhibit mold growth in next year’s hay crop.

Jackie Nix

Don't Skimp on Nutrition

Jon Albro — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 09:14:00 -1100

Let’s not forget what we already know!

Well, there’s a lot of news right now about the volatility in the cattle markets. Obviously a lot of it is uncomfortable) to read or listen to, and it makes for real spirited or depressing conversation at the corner café (pick your emotion). Still, it’s always best to keep a positive frame of mind and be looking at opportunities. The last time calves sold for $2.00, people were pretty doggone happy about it. Now, I’m not trying to say that we should be happy with a cattle market that’s lost $50/Cwt in a very short period of time but I am saying that the cow-calf business is still alive and well.

One bright spot is that for much of the country, we have grass, we have hay, and feed cost are relatively low compared to where they were a couple years ago when the calf price was about the same as it is today – there’s the glass is half full statement for the coffee shop. I’ve been at a lot of producer meetings the past few weeks and I’ve not heard a lot of negativity overall. Ranchers are still engaged, wanting to learn how to better feed, care for, market and breed their cattle. If you are not improving, you are not moving ahead. I’m pleased to sense this philosophy in the areas I’ve been, and it tells me we will not or should not fall backwards on nutritional strides made in the past few years. At CRYSTALYX®, we will strive at continuous improvement of our products and programs, that’s what our customers expect. We’ve had a lot of success with our newest and most performance driven products in the past few years such as our Breed-Up® products, Brigade®, Iono-lyx®, Omega-lyx™ and others.

Don't Skimp on Nutrition!

There’s really no time to “skimp” on nutrition in any operation, especially at critical times like weaning, calving and breeding. We’ve talked a lot about using nutrition to enhance reproductive performance and the return involved. If we were to cut back due to fear in the market, what would that cost potentially be? Just think, if we lost 1% in reproductive efficiency or had one less calf to wean, the value of that calf is still going to be well over $1000.00. This is more than 30 times the amount it cost to feed a cow CRYSTALYX® for 100 days. The cost of “skimping” is a lot more than the cost of good nutrition and health.

I believe our industry is pretty savvy and it’s safe to say we still have a lot to look forward to in this business. Let’s keep striving to only get better

Jon Albro