26 Nebraska Cattleman November 2023 Rebecca Kern-Lunbery, feed testing product manager for Ward Laboratories Inc., says feed testing is the best way to find out what minerals are in an operation’s forages. “Feed analysis or feed testing is the process of finding out what the concentration of nutrients are in the feed,” Kern-Lunbery says. “You can see what minerals need to be added to the diet.” She says forage analysis can help save money and time in the long run. “You don’t want to overfeed minerals because you could end up with toxicity issues,” Kern-Lunbery explains. “That is much more difficult to adjust, especially when it’s affecting your whole herd.” On the other hand, underfeeding minerals can also negatively affect the bottom line. “If you’re underfeeding, it can impact reproduction performance, body condition and their ability to withstand weather conditions,” KernLunbery says. “Oftentimes, mineral deficiencies show up in sickness and poor performance.” The feed-testing process is simple, Kern-Lunbery explains. “We recommend they follow the National Forage Testing Association guidelines, which is to probe 20 percent of the bales and combine the cores into one sample,” Kern-Lunbery says. “Send us your sample and we’ll test them and get your results back to you quickly." There are several minerals and vitamins that beef cows need. The best way to ensure cattle are getting the nutrients they need is through knowledge and information. “In most cases, drought means that the forage is actually going to be more immature,” Drewnoski says. “We actually see higher quality forage, just less of it.” She says the only real concern for producers is a deficiency in vitamin A because of brown grass. If there is an excess of moisture, producers will need to pay attention to the mineral levels in mature forages. “Wet weather can cause mature forages to get away from you,” Drewnoski says. “They’re going to have even less of those minerals, so you may need to be making sure they’re getting their targeted intakes.” Her biggest piece of advice is to check the mineral levels of the forages. “The best thing to do, regardless of the weather, is to assess the quality of the forage,” Drewnoski says. NC BENEFITS OF FEED ANALYSIS CONSIDERATIONS FOR A MINERAL SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM • CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 VitaFerm® Conserve® Protein Meal A free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement with protein for beef cattle designed to support herd health and performance while conserving cost. *Available in a 40 lb bag For more information, contact your Area Sales Manager Kevin Glaubius at (816) 344-5762 or visit www.vitaferm.com. PROTEIN MEAL ® ® ® SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO SAVE YOU MONEY! KEY BENEFITS: Contains AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility. Includes 20% natural protein. Features a complete, but economical vitamin and mineral package.
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