Personally, I’ve just been through one of those stretches of gale‐force changes. In the past month the house filled to overflowing with graduation guests – and a week later we became empty nesters; we have (largely) gotten moved to Florida; two of the boys are spending the summer out of country, and out of daily reach; and there have been some major shifts in my work responsibilities.
I guess it is understandable that I feel a little disoriented and less in control of things than I’d like. I can definitely relate to the image of little things gone wrong wielding out‐of-proportion power.
The cattle industry also continues to deal with monumental changes. Markets, input costs, regulations, public perceptions and competition for resources challenge traditional ways of doing business.
And at the same time, there is a virtual tidal wave of new (and sometimes conflicting) information to be evaluated, considered, and possibly integrated. In this scenario, too, there are decisions and choices that may appear to be minor that can actually have significant long‐term consequences.
I think two things that are critical to avoiding these “projectiles” are perspective and priorities. If we keep a focus on our long‐term goals, and then make short‐term decisions that are consistent with them, the unavoidable changes in life can be much more positive. These are the concepts that actually are constant.
If I put this into the context of beef cow nutrition, there are three grounding principles that feeding programs need to comply with – no matter how many changes there are in feed type, composition, availability, cost or delivery method.
In every case, feeding and supplementation programs need to be nutritionally sound, practical to deliver, and economically viable.
Nutritionally sound
Cowherd nutrition supports animal maintenance, reproductive performance, fetal calf development, milk production and herd health. Typically, we are going to supply this nutrition via available forages and selected supplements. In forage‐based diets, supplements must:
- Supply all essential minerals and vitamins not provided by the grass or hay
- Deliver any selected additives
- Meet the needs of the rumen microbes, in order to optimize the fermentation activity that releases the nutrients in fibrous feeds
Like any other living organism, the bacteria, protozoa and fungi of the rumen require a balanced diet in order to live, grow and reproduce. In their case, this includes ruminally available crude protein, an energy source they can utilize, and some additional growth factors.
Cellulolytic (fiber‐digesting) bacteria have a particular need for ammonia, which can come from the breakdown of true amino acid proteins or non‐protein nitrogen sources such as urea. They can effectively utilize fiber and sugar (but not starch), so will benefit most from supplements that contain these energy forms, as well as a concentrated level of degradable protein.
When life is good for these micro‐organisms, they proliferate. Greater bacterial numbers lead to more total fermentation activity, which not only releases more energy from the feed the cow eats but speeds the breakdown of this roughage.
That, in turn, effectively creates room for the cow to consume more feed and increase her overall plane of nutrition. Additionally, every microbial cell contains protein, synthesized from the nitrogen taken in from the rumen environment.
Eventually, these microbes are replaced by new ones, and they flow on to the small intestine where they are digested. Since this ‘microbial cell protein’ makes up a significant portion of a beef cow’s protein supply, this is further reason to focus on microbial needs when selecting the nutritional make‐up of supplements.
Practical to deliver
The form, volume and frequency of feeding supplements can have an impact on both nutrition and management. All of the following need to be kept in mind while evaluating the fit of a particular feeding program to a specific operation:
- Flexibility. If needed, can the supplement be effectively utilized for multiple groups of animals, or varied feeding situations?
- Convenience. Unless you have nothing else you need or want to do, convenience has value. Self‐fed products, especially those delivered by the supplier, can eliminate time-consuming tasks including feed preparation, delivery, packaging disposal, etc.
- Access. It is important that every animal receive the nutrition they need. But infrequent feed delivery, inadequate feeding space, waste or spoilage, or difficult access can all contribute to uneven intakes, either between animals or over time. Properly managed self-fed supplements also offer the assurance that even the most timid animals will have opportunity to take a turn at the feeder.
- Efficiency. Waste and shrink can vary dramatically between different feeding programs.
- Grazing management. Some programs allow use of feeder placement to help direct and disperse grazing patterns. Routine supplement delivery can create an undesirable situation where animals suspend grazing activity for a portion of the day while gathering in anticipation of the feed truck.
- Carrier role. When feed additives are being utilized, supplement choices need to include products and delivery programs that practically and effectively get the additive to the animals at the rate and schedule needed for desired responses.
Economically viable
The fact is: The cheapest feed is seldom the best buy. Price per unit of nutrient means far more than price per ton.
Valid economic comparisons need to be based on the total costs (purchase, handling, delivery) of getting the needed nutrition in front of the cows. This includes things like equipment, time and transportation, which are driven by feed type, delivery frequency and volume. 
—Quality Liquid Feeds Cattle Sense newsletter, June 2013
