Do you know the mineral content of your forages?
by Caitlin Palmer
As with most things, the more information we have the better. When rationing, if we don’t have a nutrient analysis of the forage(s), we can’t properly advise on what the rest of the ration should be. This is the same with mineral supplementation. If we don’t know what we’re starting with, it makes it difficult to know whether we are undersupplying, oversupplying or actually hitting optimal mineral supply for the requirement and performance.
It’s also worth noting new requirements published in 2021, which previously hadn’t been updated since 2001. These NASEM requirements take into account new research and understanding of mineral supplementation and enable us to make more informed decisions on mineral formulation. Taking into account these findings, Harbro were the first to remove copper sulphate and zinc sulphate from all ruminant powdered minerals in order to improve rumen function, improve mineral availability and ensure responsible mineral supplementation.
As 2024 clamps are being opened, the Harbro dairy team are currently undertaking a lot of forage mineral analyses and the variation in mineral values for grass silages is large. This is affected by lot of different factors such as geographical area, fertiliser/slurry application, growing season and soil fertility to name a few. A lot of 1st cuts this year have been exceptionally high in potassium which, for a dry cow, may cause issues such as milk fevers if the rest of the ration and the mineral supply is not balanced correctly. The benefits of having your forages analysed and a complementary mineral formulation created include:
- More precise mineral nutrition
- Less waste
- Supporting a sustainable agriculture industry
- Supporting rumen function
- Maximising animal health, productivity and profitability
Mineral nutrition and understanding is changing for the better and ahead of the winter, we invite farmers to have their forages analysed for minerals and have one of our nutritional advisors match the correct mineral to their forages, diets, production targets and animals.