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Livestock Supplements |
Northern Plains Forages are Zinc and
Copper Deficient
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Kay
Dee Feed NEWS |
| A review of the copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) status of forages and cattle in
Montana and other Plains states indicates that Zn, and especially Cu, are
deficient in forages of the Northern Plains. Moreover, supplementation with
these trace minerals is needed for optimum reproductive performance and
immune function in cattle. |
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| John Paterson, the Montana State University professor of animal science and
Extension beef specialist who performed the review, says deficiencies of
these elements can impair reproduction and the immune systems of both males
and females. Requirements in parts per million (ppm) of dietary dry matter
are 10 ppm for Cu and 30 ppm for Zn. |
| Paterson’s survey of grasses, legumes and grass-legume mixes showed that Cu
and Zn were deficient in most of the forages sampled, especially the
grasses. Molybdenum, which interferes with Cu utilization, was high in some
of the samples. High amounts of sulfate in water (more than 500 ppm) also
reduce Cu utilization. |
| Liver biopsy is the best indicator of Cu status, with a
liver Cu concentration of less than 30 ppm considered severely deficient A
weighted average of samples in eight Great Plains states revealed that 33%
of the cattle sampled had values less than 30 ppm. Meanwhile, in five
Northern Plains states (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Colorado), the weighted average was 41%. |
| (Paterson, 2002,
Montana State University Extension Beef Newsletter, Dec. 2002, Vol. 8[1]:3).
Reprinted from the Michigan State University March issue of "Beef Cattle
Research Update." |
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