As pastures shift from lush summer green to dry fall stubble and stored winter feed, their nutrient content also changes. Since forage quality naturally declines with each season, your mineral program needs to adapt to help your herd thrive year-round.
Forage Quality Declines Seasonally
- Summer (high quality) forage: During the warmer months, fresh pasture is at its peak. Crude protein and energy levels are high as plants put most of their energy into above ground leafy growth.
- Fall (low quality) forage: Mature grasses’ energy, protein, and nutrient levels drop as they prepare to go dormant. Their fiber also increases, making them harder to digest for your animals.
- Winter (poor quality) forage: Colder months produce the poorest quality forage. Stored or stockpiled hay likely will not have enough energy, protein, or minerals to properly support immune strength, reproduction, and growth on its own. (click for helpful advice on how to protect your winter hay storage)
Effects of Mineral Deficiencies
Mineral programs are supposed to fill in the nutritional gaps between what they need and what feed and forage can provide on their own. During the cool season months, that gap widens, leaving your herd open to:
- Weaker immunity (higher sick rates and vet bills)
- Reproduction delays (more open cows and lower conception rates)
- Poor weight gains (lower BCS on calves and adult cattle, reduced profits)
They need a stronger mineral program to bridge this nutritional gap and help them resiliently weather the stress of the cold months ahead.
Matching Your Mineral to the Season
First, testing your forage is the best way to help you choose the right mineral (click to learn more about forage testing and why it matters.)
- Summer Program: Animals usually need a simple mineral program to balance salt and trace nutrients (like Redmond 10 Fine) to complement the more abundant nutrients in green forage.
- Fall Program: Step up to a more robust mineral with fortifications to offset declining pasture values (like Redmond Selenium 90)
- Winter Program: Provide a fortified mineral (like Redmond Beef Mineral) with added vitamins A, D, and E to support reproduction, immune strength, and growth during the toughest season.
Tips for Transitioning Between Minerals
Some animals get picky when switching between mineral programs, or when introducing new supplements. Here are some helpful tips to keep their intake up:
- Place mineral stations near lounging areas
- Use a higher salt to mineral ratio: If your animals are not eating enough minerals, switch to a more palatable mix. Some supplements include heavy doses of minerals mixed with a small amount of salt. These heavy minerals taste bitter to your livestock, so switching to a higher ratio of salt to minerals will encourage them to eat more.
- Watch For Pica: pica is an eating disorder where animals sometimes chew on or lick non-foods, such as: stones, dirt, wood, plaster, etc. If you see these behaviors, it is most likely a sign of a mineral deficiency, namely salt. Consult your vet/nutritionist and try using a higher salt to mineral mix.
- Make sure you are using enough mineral feeders: For cattle (1 feeder for around 30 head), goats and sheep (1 feeder for around 10 head)
- Don’t forget gut health: poor rumen function can cause hidden setbacks in health, repro rates, and weight gain because their gut is not absorbing what they need from their feed.
Some ranchers and farmers turn to sodium bicarbonate to help protect their herd’s rumen from acid buildup. But did you know that nature made something better than bicarb? Redmond Conditioner can help your herd get the most out of their minerals for any season and forage quality. The sodium bentonite in our conditioner is a rich, volcanic clay that:
- Buffers as well as bicarb
- Improves fiber digestion
- Binds to toxins
- Increases nutrient absorption
Simply mix 1 part conditioner with 2-3 parts minerals to take your mineral program to the next level.
Nature designed forage to fuel your herd, but it can’t provide everything year-round. When your forage changes, give Redmond a call at
and let us help you change with it and keep your herd thriving.