Years ago when company reps called on feed companies and nutritionists we used to make jokes that went something like this; 'If we used all those wonderful products, we wouldn't even have to feed the cattle. They would grow on the products alone!' Of course we were being facetious, but I've always wondered if the products we feed or implant are additive. For example, if calves on grass gained 2.0 lb/day with nothing more than trace mineral salt and we de-wormed them, would gains be 2.2 lb., and if we implanted them would the gains be 2.4 lb, and if we used a feed additive would gains be 2.8 lb/day or would they all overlap and only get 2.3 lb gain even though we spent a lot of extra time and money?

One of the very fine chemical companies serving the livestock industry is Intervet. I think they have earned an excellent reputation because of the quality of their technical staff and the research conducted on their products. We see and hear from those technical people on a regular basis. They tackle the tough questions that those of us in the field deal with. This plug for that company is because I asked one of their technical nutritionists for data that supported their claim that products they marketed are additive. He made an excellent point regarding this question before sending me the literature. The three products we talked about were a de-wormer, a feed additive, and an implant. His point was that each product worked in a completely separate way in the animal's body.

1. The de-wormer rids the animal of parasites that damage the lining of the stomach and intestines thus allowing the calf to utilize all the nutrients it eats rather than sharing them with worms.

2. The feed additive modifies the bugs in the paunch so that those present in greatest amounts are the ones that digest grass most efficiently.

3. The implant works on the endocrine system (the hormones and their targets that regulate all body functions) to improve rate of gain and deposition of muscle.

On the surface this made sense. Each product had a different mode of action on a different part of the body and should improve performance whether the other products were present or not.

The studies that are described below were conducted at Dr. Ed Johnson's research facility located in Parma, Idaho. This in itself was encouraging because I tend to place more credibility on research conducted in the Northwest, using calves similar to the breeds we raise, on grass similar to ours, and in weather typical of this part of the country. This trial was conducted from May through August for 114 days. The short-yearling steers were all English crosses and weighed 584 lb. at the beginning of the study. Each treatment had five groups of calves in different pastures. The pastures used were 70 to 80% native grasses and fescue and 20-30% alfalfa and clover. Their results showed the following:

1 Calves with no treatment gained 1.15 lb/day.
2 Calves getting implant only gained 1.63 lb/day
3 Calves de-wormed only gained 1.43 lb/day
4. Calves w/ feed additive only gained 1.53 lb/day

5 Calves w/ implant + de-worm gained 1.79 lb/day
6 Calves w/ implant + additive gained 1.66 lb/day
7 Calves w/ de-worm + additive gained 1.56 lb/day

8 Calves implant+de-worm+additive 1.95 lb/day

To summarize, the implant increased gain by .34 lb/day De-worming improved gain by .19 lb/day And the feed additive improved gain by .18 lb/day The biggest plus was increase in profit, even when discounted for heavier weight, the combination of the three treatments improved net profit by over $31.00 per head.

They also have data that shows that the products work better the higher the quality of the forage. Since the steers getting trace mineral salt only gained 1.15 lb/day, this indicated to me that growing conditions, weather, feed, or something wasn't very favorable for a good rate of gain. A lot of our mountain pastures support gains of 2 lb daily or more when only salt is fed.

For years some have claimed that we really didn't need to de-worm cattle in dry or desert country. Many studies and ranch trials have dispelled this notion. Worms do survive our winters and grow right along with the grass in the spring whether in the desert or the mountains.

The Idaho study didn't discuss the nutrient content of the grass or if any particular mineral supplement was fed. One would suspect that in that part of Idaho that selenium, zinc, and copper would be deficient. It is also possible that the pasture was low enough and close enough to the river to have a high concentration of molybdenum in the forage. This is an area that the natural beef producers should strive to improve so that all of the nutrients needed are available at all times during the grazing season. It's also important to recognize that the nutrients in the grass deteriorate rapidly as maturity is reached. A supplement that worked well early in the spring may not be sufficient in the late summer.

If you have cattle in a natural beef program, the guidelines may not allow you to implant or use a feed additive that is classified as a drug. However it would appear that regular worm checks with your veterinarian and strategic de-worming would be very advantageous. During the finishing phase a microbial preparation made by Nutrition Physiology Corporation has shown substantial improvement in gain and feed efficiency. It could be used as a replacement for implants and feed additives that are classified as drugs. A recent trial showed that if was also effective in reducing E.Coli shedding. This product is backed by many years of research at universities and private stations such As Dr. Ed Johnson's facility in Parma. At present there are 4-5,000,000 head of finishing cattle using this product.

It appears that there is a wide range of tools available to improve the performance and efficiency of cattle whether on range or in the feedlot. Some are as simple as sampling forage and providing those nutrients missing from the diet. Others require sampling manure and/or handling the cattle. Products can be added to the feed that manipulate the rumen bugs to make them more efficient users of grass and finishing ration.

Michael J. Mehren, Ph.D. is a livestock nutritionist showing symptoms of CRS (can't remember stuff) near Hermiston, Oregon. Copies of Mike Mehren's book 'Common Cents Livestock Feeding' may be purchased from Haywire Publishing Co., 32839 E Loop Rd., Hermiston, OR 97838 or Email: mehren@eoni.com

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