Building immunity in feedlot cattle requires a holistic focus that begins long before an animal reaches the feedlot.

Nutritional management plays a central role in promoting the health, productivity and reproductive success of beef cattle.

Mineral mixes and supplements can be formulated with several trace mineral sources, each with advantages and disadvantages. There are some commonly held perceptions around trace minerals and their “benefits” that need attention in order to optimize performance, health and feed costs.

The way in which beef producers manage the tasks of "housing" and watering and feeding their cattle during the winter will have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the herd.

Ranchers are constantly striving to maximize the productivity of their native rangeland, as raising and selling heavy and healthy calves is key to profitability. Helping producers enhance calf weight gain while maintaining the optimum body condition of the cow herd is critical to keeping operations profitable.

While understanding the impact of feedstuff dry matter is critical for making informed management decisions, we also must consider how differences in nutrient composition, in addition to dry matter, influence feedstuff cost scenarios.

A new era of calf prices begs the question: What’s one more worth? An extra weaned calf can be a result of improved reproductive success in conjunction with reducing morbidity and death loss.

Lots of farmers and ranchers are planting the new hybrid varieties of forage brassicas and other plants in the cabbage family. With their high levels of protein and energy, these forage brassicas show fast emergence and rapid regrowth, and they can give consistently high yields with multiple grazings, even in the face of water stress and cold stress.

It has been nearly 15 years since we wrote our first press article on the use of “herbs and spices” in cattle. Where have we been and what have we learned? What does the future hold for this technology? And most importantly, how do you decide what the value is for your cattle?

Of all the various nutrient groups we supplement for the typical cow herd, minerals and vitamins are some of the most important. They are also some of the most poorly understood.