Basics to Small Farm Beef Cow Nutrition

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Basics to Small Farm Beef Cow Nutrition
Basics to Beef Cow Nutrition

• Adam Hady
• Agriculture Agent
• Richland County UWEX

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Key Nutrients

• Six Basic Nutrients
• Water
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Minerals
• Vitamins

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Nutrient Requirements

• The amount of nutrient that an animal needs to
  perform a specific purpose.
• Determined by weight, sex, age, growth rate,
  stage of production.

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Nutrient Composition

• Nutrient composition is the amount of nutrients
  found in the feed source.
• Nutrient Composition can be obtained from book
  values, which are just an averages for a feed, or
  you can have a feed analysis done.

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Nutrient Composition

• Common information on the composition table for a
  feed stuff are
• Dry matter
• Crude Protein
• Energy
• Fiber
• Minerals

Feed Analysis
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Dry Matter

• The of a feed stuff that is not water.
• For example If hay is 88 dry matter then a 45
  pound bale of hay would be 39.5 lbs of dry
  matter.
• Rations will come in as pounds of dry matter (DM)
  or As Fed

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Crude Proteins

• Proteins are the building block for animals and
  are chains of amino acids
• Crude protein is determined by the amount of
  Nitrogen (N) in a feed multiplied by 6.25
• N is used to determine the amount of protein,
  because of the N is critical part of the amino
  acid structure and makes up approximately 16 of
  the protein structure.

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Crude Proteins

• Crude Protein in beef cow rations come primarily
  from the forage in the diet.
• Pasture grass and forages are an excellent source
  of protein
• There are also many protein supplements (feed
  that contain over 20 crude protein)

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Energy

• Energy is defined as the capacity to do work.
• In animal nutrition is determined by biological
  heat production Calories (cal), Kilocalorie
  (kcal), or Megacalorie (Mcal)

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Energy

• Common measurements of energy in ration
  formulation
• Gross Energy (GE) total amount of energy in a
  feed source
• Digestible Energy (DE) Energy absorbed by the
  animal after consumption
• Metabolizable Energy (ME) Energy that is
  available through feed consumption
• Net Energy (NE) Similar to DE and ME
• Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) A method that
  calculates energy based on crude protein and
  fiber.

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Energy

• Sources
• Starch, fats, cellulose and proteins
• Majority of energy in beef cattle rations is the
  cellulose in forage.

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Fiber

• Estimates the amount of carbohydrate found in
  plants.
• Unlike monogastrics, cattle utilize microbes in
  the rumen to breakdown the fiber, therefore
  providing energy to the animal.

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Minerals and Vitamins

• Minerals
• Two categories macro and micro minerals
• Crystalline substances that can not be
  synthesized in the animal.
• They provide the foundations for structure and
  function in the animal

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Minerals and Vitamins

• Vitamins
• Two categories water soluble and fat soluble
• Some vitamins can be synthesized in the body
  others can not.
• They provide the foundations for structure and
  function in the animal

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How Nutrients are Used

• Maintenance
• Lactation
• Growth
• Reproduction
• In order of priority for the cow

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TDN and CP
Source NRC, 2000
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Dry Matter Intakes
Source NRC, 2000
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Nutrients by Calving Cycle
Source NRC, 2000
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Adding Energy for the Elements
Rations of grain may be less effective than
having a sufficient supply of good quality
forages such as alfalfa or grass hay available at
all times, since fiber digestion produces body
heat in cattle . If animals are cleaning up
everything quickly after feeding and have nothing
to munch on until the next meal, you may not be
putting enough forage out at a time to meet their
extra needs during cold weather
Source Its Cold Outside
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Does Only Hay Provide??

• I am going to feed a Late Bloom Orchard Grass
  Hay.
• For the example Nutrients that we have been
  using
• TDN 54 DM
• CP 8.4 DM

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Do We Meet Needs Just on Orchard Grass Hay???
Source NRC, 2000
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Pasture is a Gift
Source NRC, 2000
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Evaluating Your Feeding Program

• The best way to evaluate your feeding program is
  by the animals themselves.
• Use Body Condition Scoring as a guide.

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Body Score Condition Scoring

• How this will help my feeding program
• gives an indication of reproductive perforce
  based on body condition
• Can give you an estimate of nutrient need.

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Body Condition Scoring

• Score of 1-9
• Score of 1 is Sick and Weak.
• Score of 9 - Extremely Fat
• Want a score of 6

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When to Evaluate Body Score

• Key times to look at body condition scoring
• Beginning of your breeding season
• At weaning
• Calving time

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Sources References

1. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, National
   Research Council, 2000
2. Livestock Feeds and Feeding, D.C. Church, 1991
3. UW- Extension Beef Web Page http//www.uwex.edu/c
   es/animalscience/beef/index.cfm
4. Iowa Beef Center http//www.iowabeefcenter.org/
5. Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows, Virginia
   Cooperative Extension publication 400-795.
   http//www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/beef/400-795/400-795.pd
   f
6. Its Cold Outside! Tips for Winter Livestock
   Care by , Rhonda Gildersleeve Agriculture Agent
   Iowa County UW Extension from the Weekend Farmer
   Newsletter

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Questions ?????
Questions?????

• Presenter INFO
• Adam Hady
• Agriculture Agent
• UWEX- Richland County
• 608/647-6148
• adam.hady_at_ces.uwex.edu

Presenter INFO Adam Hady Agriculture
Agent UWEX- Richland County 608/647-6148 adam.had
y_at_ces.uwex.edu Web site http//Richland.uwex.edu
Click on Agriculture
01/07