Nutrition Key For Health Of The Cow, Future Of The Herd

More and more science is proving the key role nutrition plays not only in the health and long-term success of individual cows, but also the success of an operation.

Sara Linneen, nutritionist with Elanco says there are two things to consider; first, nutrition is lagging, meaning her condition today is a reflection of what she was fed months ago. Second, the cow’s diet isn’t just for her.

“The calf is on board for a good portion of a year with that cow, and she is growing that calf," Linneen said. "And we know from research that her body condition at the time of calving is the single biggest indicator to her future reproductive success. So, we know there's a linkage between nutrition and how that cow is able to breed back, how she is able to go through gestation and then calving. But what we don't talk about very often is the calf. And we want to make sure that we have a healthy calf at birth with a lot of vigor. We want to make sure that calf grows adequately. We know pounds today are worth quite a bit, so we want to make sure we get to a respectable wean weight. And one of the best ways to do that is with the nutrition of the cow.”

Nutrition Not Just An Issue During Pregnancy

Linneen added there's research that shows calves that are born to cows that were malnourished or did not receive enough nutrients even during lactation, have a higher chance of mortality as well as needed treatment throughout their lifetime.

“So, it can affect them whether they go into the feed yard or they come back around as a replacement heifer. There's long-term effects to not feeding the cow appropriately tied into fetal programming, tied into colostrum production and then how well she's able to do with that calf by her side during that process of lactation. So, definitely things to consider.”

Linneen encourages all producers to test their forage to determine what is and is not being provided. From there, you can determine what supplements are needed.

What Does This Look Like On The Farm?

For more of our conversation with Linneen including tips on how producers can take this research and turn it into practical steps on the farm, listen to our entire podcast: