Effective pasture management for beef cattle is the cornerstone of successful beef cattle production. It involves a harmonious blend of ecological principles and agricultural practices aimed at maintaining high-quality forage throughout the year. One of the key challenges in pasture management is dealing with the variability brought about by different seasons, particularly the different conditions in the rainy and dry seasons.

During the rainy season, pastures often flourish, providing an abundance of lush, nutrient-rich forage. However, this period can also present challenges, such as increased risk of soil compaction and waterlogged pastures, which can lead to reduced forage quality and availability. Implementing rotational grazing systems can help mitigate these issues. By moving cattle between different paddocks, farmers can prevent overgrazing, allowing pastures to recover and maintain their productivity. This approach not only improves forage availability but also promotes root growth and soil health, ensuring long-term sustainability1.

Conversely, the dry season often brings scarcity, with forages becoming sparse and less nutritious. To combat this, farmers can employ strategic grazing management techniques, such as deferred grazing and the use of drought-resistant forage species. Deferred grazing involves allowing certain pastures to rest and accumulate forage during the rainy season, which can then be utilized during the dry season. This practice ensures a steady supply of forage, even when conditions are less favourable.

While pasture management lays the foundation for cattle nutrition, diet supplementation is crucial for bridging nutritional gaps that can arise due to seasonal fluctuations. Supplementation strategies need to be tailored to the specific challenges of the rainy and dry seasons, ensuring that cattle receive the necessary nutrients to maintain health and productivity.

During the rainy season, while forage is abundant, its high moisture content can dilute nutrient density, particularly energy and minerals. Introducing energy-rich supplements, such as grains or high-quality hay, can help meet the increased energy demands of cattle during this period. Additionally, mineral supplements, particularly those containing phosphorus, magnesium, and trace minerals, can prevent deficiencies that might arise from grazing on lush, fast-growing pastures2.

The dry season, with its reduced forage availability and quality, poses a different set of nutritional challenges for grazing beef cattle. Protein supplements become particularly important during this time. Providing protein-rich supplements, such as cottonseed meal or soybean meal, can enhance the digestibility of dry forages and improve overall nutrient intake. This supplementation is essential for maintaining body condition and supporting reproductive performance, especially for breeding females.

A well-planned supplementation strategy for grazing beef cattle considers the specific needs of cattle during different seasons, aligning with the overall goals of the grazing system. During the rainy season, the focus should be on complementing the nutrient profile of lush pastures with energy and mineral supplements, ensuring that cattle can capitalize on the abundance without falling into nutritional imbalances.

In the dry season, protein and energy supplements become the priority. High-quality hay, silage, and protein meals can sustain cattle through the lean months, maintaining body condition and supporting reproductive health. Feed additives, including probiotics, prebiotics, phytogenics, and ionophores, can enhance the effectiveness of these supplements, ensuring that cattle extract maximum benefit from every mouthful.

Early spring is a crucial time for forage and pasture management as it will affect the stand's production throughout the grazing season. Spring growth should be at least 15 cm before grazing and animals should be removed when plants are grazed down to approximately 7 to 10 cm. Because early spring usually has high amounts of precipitation, it is important to protect forages and soils from possible damage during these wet conditions. Livestock should be rotated at a faster rate or put into a sacrifice or corral area during wet periods to keep damage to a minimum.

Drastically changing an animal’s diet can have negative effects on the animal’s health and performance. When changing a diet for beef cattle from stored feed to lush, new forage growth, gradually removing the hay from the diet can decrease negative effects. Supplying hay or other stored feed can also be beneficial if the new growth is sparse to keep gains (or milk production) high and to protect pastures from overgrazing at this time.

Keeping animals supplied with the minerals needed at all times is crucial to animal performance. It is necessary to allow pastures to establish before heavy grazing. Protecting pastures during periods of extremely wet conditions can help to keep forage stands healthy and productive. Taking steps to keep livestock and pastures in good condition in the early spring will pay off with high production and performance throughout the grazing season.

Ensuring that minerals are utilized efficiently by cattle can reduce their excretion and mitigate the risk of contamination of the environmental with trace metals, particularly zinc and copper.. Farmers can adopt several strategies to manage mineral excretion in cow-calf operations:

1. Precise supplementation: forages contain trace metals. If these amounts are not taken into consideration when the amount of trace mineral supplementation for beef is being calculated, over-supplementation will be the result. Tailoring mineral supplementation to the specific needs of the herd based on soil and forage testing can prevent over-supplementation.
2. Rotational grazing: implementing rotational grazing systems helps distribute manure more evenly, reducing the concentration of minerals in any one area.
3. Use of hydroxy trace minerals: compared to sulphates, hydroxy trace minerals are more bioavailable and less reactive in the digestive system, leading to better absorption and reduced excretion.

Trials2 have shown that trace minerals that are not being absorbed by the animal will not always be stored. Excess zinc for example will be excreted into the environment (see Figure 1), Zinc has a strong negative impact on soil microbes that are essential for soil quality.

Maintaining a balanced mineral intake is crucial for beef herd health and performance, particularly during early spring grazing. Minerals play a significant role in various aspects of animal health, including growth, reproduction, and overall performance. Minerals for beef cattle can either be provided free-choice or added to a supplemented feed, ensuring they complement the forages and other feeds livestock consume.

Phosphorus (P) is vital for energy metabolism, bone development, and reproductive efficiency, and should be provided to beef cattle at appropriate levels, typically around 0.16-0.23% of the diet.

Calcium (Ca) is necessary for bone structure, muscle function, and various metabolic processes, with a recommended concentration in beef diets of 0.31-0.60%. The Ca ratio for beef cattle should ideally be maintained between 1.5:1 and 2:1 to optimize absorption and utilization.

Magnesium (Mg) is essential for enzyme activation and nervous system function. In early spring, particularly if forages have high levels of potassium (K), beef cattle should be supplemented with magnesium to prevent grass tetany, a potentially fatal condition in beef cattle, caused by magnesium deficiency.

Trace minerals such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and selenium (Se) are equally critical for beef cattle. Zinc is crucial for immune function, skin health, and reproduction, and should be included in a diet for beef cattle at levels around 30-50 ppm. Copper supports iron metabolism, immune function, and connective tissue development, with recommended dietary concentrations for beef cattle ranging from 10-20 ppm, considering potential antagonisms from molybdenum, sulfur, and iron, which can reduce copper availability in beef cattle. Manganese is important for bone formation, reproduction, and enzyme function, generally met with dietary levels of 20-40 ppm. Selenium, essential for antioxidant defense and thyroid function, has a dietary requirement for beef cattle of 0.1-0.3 ppm. However, care must be taken to avoid toxicity, as selenium (and copper) has a narrow margin between deficiency and toxicity. in ruminants

Addressing antagonistic interactions between minerals, such as excess molybdenum reducing copper absorption, can complicate mineral nutrition for grazing beef cattle on pasture. Utilizing Selko IntelliBond hydroxy mineral sources can enhance supplementation effectiveness, as Selko IntelliBond hydroxy minerals are more palatable (see Figure 2), encouraging higher intake5,6, less prone to leaching and degradation during rain events5 (see Figure 3a and 3b), and support gut health, promoting better nutrient absorption and utilization, which is particularly beneficial during dietary transitions5,6. By ensuring beef cattle have daily access to the correct balance of macro and trace minerals, either through free-choice feeders strategically placed near water sources or through supplemented feeds, beef herd health and performance can be optimized. Adequate mineral nutrition helps maintain body condition, supports immune function, and enhances reproductive performance of beef cattle, laying the foundation for a productive and healthy grazing season.

Prebiotics can support gut health of grazing beef cattle by promoting a balanced microbiota, which will reduce the risk of hindgut acidosis and "leaky gut". Prebiotics should particularly be considered when beef cattle are moved to lush forage at the beginning of the rain season1. Selko LactiBute is a patented formulation, containing rumen protected calcium gluconate. Calcium gluconate has been shown to reduce the risk of hindgut acidosis, leading to an improvement of beef cattle performance7,8,9,10.

Phytogenics, derived from plant extracts, also play a critical role in enhancing cattle nutrition. These natural feed additives for beef cattle can improve feed intake, digestion, and overall health by providing anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidative properties. Incorporating phytogenics into the diet of beef cattle can bolster the immune system and improve feed efficiency, particularly during periods of environmental stress. In a trial11 in which Selko Fytera Perform was fed to pregnant beef cattle from 30 days before calving until 60 days post calving, colostrum yield and quality improved, and growth and performance of both the dams and the calves were also improved (see Figure 4).
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Ionophores are commonly used in beef cattle to improve feed efficiency by altering rumen fermentation patterns, increasing the production of propionate, a more efficient energy source for beef cattle. This is particularly beneficial during the dry season, when maximizing the energy derived from limited forage is crucial. A trial11 carried out in beef steers showed that feeding Selko LactiBute can increase volatile fatty acid levels in the hindgut (see Table 1).

Ionophores also have the added benefit of reducing the risk of bloat and other digestive disorders of beef cattle, which can be prevalent when cattle are grazing on low-quality forage.

The journey towards optimizing beef cattle production in grazing systems is one of continuous learning and adaptation. Advances in pasture management and animal nutrition offer exciting opportunities to enhance productivity and sustainability of pasture based beef production . By integrating rotational grazing, strategic supplementation, and innovative feed additives for beef cattle, farmers can navigate the challenges posed by seasonal changes and create resilient, thriving systems for sustainable beef production.

It's a holistic approach, where the health of the soil, the quality of the forage, and the nutrition of beef cattle are all interconnected. This synergy not only improves the well-being of the herd but also promotes environmental sustainability of beef farming, ensuring that grazing systems remain productive for generations of beef farmers to come.