Protein tubs have been gaining popularity here lately with producers of all sizes. People that use them like the convenience of having a supplement that is designed to be self-fed in the pasture. They can deliver supplemented nutrients that do not require extra labor.
In an ideal world, cattle would get all of their nutrition from the forages and/or the concentrated feeds that they are given. But unfortunately, as you are aware we do not live in an ideal world. The quality of the forages can vary to a large degree from year to year. Another factor is that each animal will have different nutritional needs throughout the year.
With the difference between nutritional needs and forage quality, there is a need to “fill in the gaps”. As you have guessed this is where protein tubs come in.
Maintaining your pasture during the summer can be very tricky. In no time at all, it can go from adequate moisture to extremely dry. A manager has to be on their game to keep their pasture from suffering too much.
Having a good summer pasture management plan in place can save you a lot of headaches later on. It will give you a chance to put out any potential fires, not literally, before they can occur.
A protein tub is a very good way to provide extra nutrition when needed. One benefit is that once you have placed it in the pasture you don’t need to check it every day. This is helpful for those that may have a job back in town.
It is never good whenever your cattle are suffering from a disease. It can rob you of performance while at the same time increasing your expenses.
Breeding season preparations are a very important task for any cow/calf producer’s bottom line. The steps that they take now will determine if they will have a good calf crop or not. Having good quality calves to sell is the defining factor between a successful and a not successful rancher.
Drought is one of those things that every cattle producer will have to deal with at some point. It ranks right up there with Death and Taxes. Just like those two though it is unavoidable however it is also something that most producers find themselves unprepared for.
Cedar, more accurately known as juniper, can be a very difficult plant to control. It is a very aggressive woody plant that grows here in Texas as well as in other places. It is often viewed as invasive because if left unchecked it can quickly take over a pasture choking out any grass growth.
Using a mineral supplement is one of the most important yet overlooked parts of cattle management. Sure, we all are concerned with the amount of protein or energy they are getting but what about meeting their mineral needs?
