Herd Booster

By Becky Mills
Progressive Farmer Contributing Editor

In 1935, in an effort to help ranchers hit hard by the Dust Bowl, the U.S. government bought 547 head of Hereford cattle in Arizona and New Mexico, and shipped them to the Seminole reservation in Florida. While the purchase may have helped the ranchers, it didn't do the cattle any favors. Most couldn't survive on the poor-quality flatwoods forages.

Today, while death loss is minimal on the Seminole Tribe's cow/calf operation, it's still a struggle to keep cows productive on South Florida forages. Alex Johns, natural resource director for the tribe, said: "Six years ago, we noticed we were having fertility issues. Our conception rates were in the high 60s [percent] on a 120-day breeding season."

POOR SAMPLES

Johns turned to Terry Weaver at Westway Feed Products for answers. Weaver took samples from growing bahia and hemarthria grasses, as well as hay. He combined that data with the results of liver biopsies done by the ranch's veterinarians. Those biopsies showed a deficiency in selenium, zinc, copper and manganese.

Weaver explains that at certain times of the year, the forages here weren't as high in protein as they had assumed. In August, September and October, for example, when grass matured, protein content could be as low as it was in January and February (5% to 8%). In June or July, protein levels could be as high as 12%.

"There is a lot of forage, but it isn't good quality," Weaver said of the late-summer pastures. That drop in protein content was tending to occur just as cows were in

a late gestation phase.

A CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION

To correct the deficiencies, Weaver started supplying the ranch with a custom-mixed molasses supplement fortified with energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Molasses makes a palatable carrier, the intake of which is regulated by adding sodium. Weaver recommended the supplement be fed year-round, with a feed-through for flies, Altosid-IGR Fly Control, added June to October.

The protein content of the supplement ranges from 8% to 36%, depending on time of year and need. In October, for example, it may be 32% protein; in March, around 8% protein. The supplement's composition varies with forage quantity, quality and production cycle of the cows. When forages are poorer quality, it's the protein supplement that helps cows glean more energy from what is available.

Johns said consumption of the molasses mix varies greatly. It can be a half-pound per head per day when grass is rapidly growing; up to 5 or 6 pounds per head per day in the winter. Year-round, it averages around 1,000 pounds consumed per cow per year. Johns said it's difficult to calculate an exact cost on the molasses mix, but he said it pays for itself. He's seen a 15% increase in conception rates on the 11,000-cow operation, to 82%. In addition, Johns notes cows stay in better body condition all year long. Before he started supplementing, cows scored in the low 4s during the winter months, but since then, the herd has moved up to 5s and higher.

"We go into the breeding season at a high 5 or 6 now," he said. "They are still in the low- to mid-5s when they have a 3- or 4-month-old calf pulling on them. But without the syrup we wouldn't get near the breedback."

The increase in conception rates and Body Condition Scores (BCS) is even more impressive considering Johns is gradually shortening the breeding season. The operation is down to 100 days, with 90 days as the goal.

BODY CONDITION ADVANTAGE

Virginia Tech animal scientist Mark McCann isn't surprised at the improvements. "Body condition tends to have a big influence on postpartum interval, or how quickly a cow returns to estrus," he said. "If she is a 4 BCS, it might take her two to three weeks longer to return to estrus than it would if she was a 5 BCS."

An improvement in BCS has other benefits, as well, he added. "If she is in a better BCS the last trimester of pregnancy, she produces more colostrum and better quality colostrum. That means increased calf vigor and a possible reduction in calf scours."

CHELATED OR INORGANIC?

If Johns' success has you thinking about dumping your regular minerals into your molasses lick tank, think again. Weaver warns it won't work because the minerals will just settle out. He explains the minerals for Johns' cattle are in a solution especially formulated for the molasses carrier by Novus. They are in varying ratios of chelated to inorganic, depending on specific needs and locations. Research shows no clear consensus on the value of chelated (organic) minerals versus inorganic minerals, he added. But Virginia Tech's McCann said he believes there are some instances where one has an advantage over the other.

"Chelated minerals are bound to organic compounds like protein and carbohydrates. That makes them more available to animals. The issue is do we get any improvement in animal production from the use of chelated minerals? The research results bounce around," he said. "Animals under stress or high-producing animals show more response. But day in and day out, on a cow/calf operation, research shows little improvement compared to a cow supplemented correctly with an inorganic mineral."

Weaver said there were some antagonists on Johns' operation that made chelated a good choice. "Routinely, we find high sulfur forages here. Sulfur can tie up copper and selenium, potentially creating deficiencies. The chelated forms of copper and selenium are more available to the animals, helping overcome these issues."

Chelated minerals are more costly than inorganic minerals, but Johns said they offset that by using molasses as a carrier and reducing labor. Sixty-seven tribe members own the cattle here, but Johns supplies the supplements. Prior to the switch to molasses as a carrier, feeding minerals was a labor-intensive chore.

"It took a two-man crew one day a week, or one day every two weeks, to keep the bagged minerals out. Plus, they had to patch the mineral boxes. At times it got too wet for them to use a pickup, and it would get stuck. Now, one man can use a tractor and a syrup wagon, and fill the syrup needs for the whole ranch in one day a week. I pass the savings back to the producers."

Johns declined to share specific costs for the year-round program, but he said with the lower labor costs, there is a 28% annual savings compared to when they were using bagged minerals. And after three years on the program, liver biopsies from the tribe's cattle show measurable improvements.

"After we had been on the program for a year, our cows reached adequate levels of selenium, copper, manganese and zinc," Johns said. He added for the sake of comparison they have individuals who have chosen not to be on the program. Their cows still are not at adequate mineral levels based on biopsies.

THE CALF BUMP

University of Florida graduate student Phillip Clark has worked with Johns for almost a year. He believes calves are benefitting from the supplement program, as well.

"I think we're seeing the effects of fetal programming. The benefits of the minerals are passing to the calves. We really saw it this year."

Clark said replacement heifers from the 40 members of the tribal co-op come to ranch headquarters for preconditioning, growing and breeding. The heifers from herds that had the molasses supplement year-round had pregnancy rates on average 15% higher. The fetal programming benefits extend to feeder steers, too. He's seen an improvement in feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of calves on the year-round program and said feedlot managers are actively seeking these calves.

At the Seminole operation, Johns said they retain ownership of calves and have seen the difference firsthand.

"We have been down as low as 27% Choice. That was 15 years ago. Now the steers are grading 80% low Choice and higher." He believes, however, that part of the change has to be credited to genetic improvements in the herd, along with the supplement program.

It all comes down to a lot of hard work and commitment, Johns stressed. "There is no magic bullet. This program was not an immediate fix. It took us three years, and we're still tweaking it, but we've seen significant progress."

(VM/CZ)

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