Cattlemen Reminded To Monitor Winter Feed Programs

Feb 23, 2021

Producers are being warned about problems like winter tetany which can develop in animals if their winter feed rations and minerals are off.

Catherine Lang is a Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture.

"So winter tetany is basically just the balance of the different minerals. So potassium, calcium and magnesium not being correct and it quite often happens in late pregnancy and after calving when those nutrient requirements of the cow or at that all-time high."

She says producers can prevent problems with winter tetany by getting feed tested and working with advisors on developing the proper mineral balance.

"So that can either be looking at levels of macro minerals and trace minerals without over supplementing, or if you're dealing with antagonistic minerals such as sulfates in your water or molybdenum in your feeds. We can help pick a proper trace minerals so that that binding doesn't happen."

She says if the mineral balance is off the animal can develop problems like winter tetany which if not treated can result in downer cows, convulsions or paralysis.

Click here to see more...

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

JOIN THE BARN TALK NEWSLETTER AND GET LIVE EVENT ACCESS: We're on a mission to hit 10,000 subscribers, and when we do, we're hosting a live event at the barn. Sign up for exclusive access to tickets and details.