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Photo submitted by a local producer to our feed department manager.  It's great to see how our local coop is reaching out to the next generation of producers!  It's about more than just making feed.

Calving Season

By Brooke Brunsvig, Nutritional Consultant

Here we are in the heart of calving season- I say the heart because most customers with cows are in all stages of “been done”, “in the middle of”, or “about to start”. I apologize if I’m late with this article for your particular case, but hopefully you still get something out of it, or it prompts some other cow thoughts. I hear it all the time, “she’s got to work for me”, and that is 100%, but we need to set her up for success.

Calves are born immune deficient and therefore NEED to get colostrum in a timely fashion, we know this. What we might not think much about though is that all colostrum is not created equal, and why? The antibodies she puts in the colostrum are developed from the exposures she has had throughout her life or been vaccinated for, so because of age, environment, and vaccination program, cow to cow, or herd to herd, colostrum could be different. Biomos® from Hubbard also helps transfer nutrients to colostrum, especially in more naive, younger cows. A University of Kentucky study showed that calves nursing mothers fed Biomos® had higher levels of immunoglobulins and a drop in mortality and morbidity.

Good colostrum plus the right vaccination program to ensure good development of the calves own immune system will get you more calves to market. As with everything in the beef industry, there are multiple factors always at play. Contact myself, Shannon, or your local coop manager for questions or a good conversation.

4/4/2025

Coccidiosis

By Shannon Voegele, Nutritional Consultant

It’s the time of year when we start seeing some coccidiosis in calves. Coccidiosis is a protozoan disease that most cattle develop some immunity to, while continuing to shed a few oocysts in their feces. Calves are the most vulnerable because they have the least immunity, particularly if they ingest a high number of immature protozoa in a dirty environment that overwhelms their immune system. Stress, such as confinement and cold, wet or hot weather, can hinder the immune system. Nutritional stress also can be a factor. Feeding a mineral that contains monensin and lasalocid will act as a mild coccidiostat.  Give me a shout to chat about mineral tubs that you can get from CFC that contain these ingredients.  

3/21/2025

Blueprint®

By Brooke Brunsvig, Nutritional Consultant

Crystalyx barrels can be very handy, especially around calving time depending on your setup. There have been some formulation and product changes in the last couple of years with the launch of Blueprint^®. It’s a phenomenal product that needs more explanation to our customers. Blueprint^® is 100% chelated mineral meaning that the mineral molecule, zinc for example, is bonded to an amino acid or group of peptides, protein, so the tag would show zincproteinate. These are minerals in a form as close to nature as possible and therefore are as bioavailable as they can get. Meaning almost NO waste out the back end. I’ve learned, over the last couple of years, that it’s been available, that the benefit to the animal is as much from the removal of inorganic mineral sources as it is about the inclusion of the organic form.

It is basically impossible to compare feed tags between Blueprint products (there is a Blueprint version of everything Hubbard and Crystalyx makes) and others, be it Hubbard’s or another company’s, because the level of mineral (ppm or %) does not need to be as high since the organic forms have no antagonisms with each other. Most feed companies have 100% inorganic mineral packages, minerals bound to oxides and sulfates, and packages with some percentage of the formula coming from an organic source, Xproteinate, Xmethionine, or X amino acid complex, but not the majority of it. Blueprint is the first and only line to be a 100% organic mineral package. A question I’ve gotten a lot lately is, “I used to use the Breed-Up 28. Now what should I use?” The answer is, they discontinued Breed-Up products because they now have Blueprint technology available. And the reason they have a Blueprint version of everything they make is that it’s beneficial to have your animals all year long, not just calving and breeding season.

This article felt quite technical to write, so PLEASE give me or Shannon a call, or start a conversation with your location manager if you want any info or clarification.

2/28/2025

Are you thinking about creep feeding?
Call a Nutritional Consultant or Location Manager for pricing and availability today.

Keep our feedlot programs in mind once you wean your calves.
Call a Nutritional Consultant or Location Manager for details.

Central Farmers Cooperative is dedicated to serving our patrons.
Please call the location nearest you to find out how one of our professional staff members can help you.

 Feed Staff