08/07/2026
Reflecting back one key takeaway, I really enjoyed Dr. Jason Banta’s practical session at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course discussing whether excess minerals could actually be hurting cattle performance.
It reminded me of something I see all too often in the field, not only with cattle, but on the equine side as well.
When we’re trying to do everything we can for our horse and cattle, it can be easy to take somewhat of a “shotgun approach” to nutrition “to make sure they get everything they need.”
A tub goes out. Then another a salt block, a sulfur block, a mineral block, then liquids gets added. Maybe an injectable product is used. The feed contains additional trace minerals. Before long, we may have several different sources supplying some of the same nutrients because it may give us a false sense of security. “It makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing,” is something I commonly hear.
The intention is good. But more of a nutrient doesn’t necessarily mean more performance.
I think about it like my son asking me for a popsicle, then another. Just because he wanted a red one instead of that John Deere green one he already ate doesn’t automatically mean he needs one.
As his dadda, it’s my job to understand the difference between what “he wants” and what “he actually needs.” Now he asks if there’s protein in candy because he knows what I’m looking for!
Equine and ruminant nutrition aren’t all that different. Our job isn’t simply to keep adding things because they might help. Our job is to understand what the animal is already receiving, what the animal actually requires, and then determine if there is a nutritional gap that needs to be filled. That’s when we’re both economic and efficient.
Minerals are especially important because they don’t operate independently of one another. Supplying nutrients well beyond an animal’s requirements can create antagonisms that affect the availability or utilization of other nutrients. And sometimes, we may simply be spending money on something the animal doesn’t need.
This is one of my favorite parts! Mostly because I love helping programs and businesses gain confidence by making those adjustments early on. Teamwork makes the dream work.
That’s why I believe we have to evaluate the entire nutritional program instead of looking at each product individually. What is the forage supplying? What’s already in the feed? What’s in the mineral? What other supplements or products are being used? And ultimately, what does the animal actually require?…. Oh wait, what about the number one nutrient they need, water?
Sometimes improving a nutrition program isn’t about figuring out what else we can add.
Sometimes it’s figuring out what we don’t need.
Another great session and another reminder of why continuing education is so important in this industry! You’re never too old to stop learning.
God bless and Gig ‘Em!
