Providing a feed supplement to cattle that are grazing in certain areas is pretty common and for good reason. Cattle are often not able to get enough from just rangelands to meet their nutritional requirements. Producers have many choices when it comes to feeding supplements. But it is best to be careful when deciding what supplements to use.
Feed costs are the largest on-farm expense that producers have during the year. According to Oklahoma State, nearly 40% of total operating costs are associated with nutrition. If you are experiencing any type of drought conditions then this expense can be even higher. However, this does not mean that we should try to cut out every expenditure that we can.
The problem with only looking at reducing costs is that it will affect your overall performance. What you want to do is look at them more like investments and try to get the most return possible. It is more important to be efficient than just to be the cheapest. Here are some ways that you can go about getting the most “bang for your buck” when it comes to using the feed.
