Beef cattle diets often lack sufficient vitamin A
Current recommendations for vitamin A supplementation assume that cattle have access to lush, green forages, which are high in vitamin A for multiple months out of the year. However, this is not always the case. For example, in years of drought, pasture grasses are often low in vitamin A concentrations. Additionally, vitamin A concentrations in stored feedstuffs and grains are much lower than fresh forages because it naturally breaks down over time, especially when exposed to hot temperatures. Therefore, cattle fed in confinement systems, such as in a dry lot, may not consume enough vitamin A from feedstuffs to meet their needs outside of supplementation.
Vitamin A is necessary for young calves
Vitamin A nutrition becomes especially important in young calves. During pregnancy, there is little to no placental transfer of vitamin A from the cow to the calf. This results in a calf that is devoid of vitamin A at birth and requires vitamin A from colostrum to initiate vitamin A status, like how a cow passes antibodies to her calf through colostrum. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of vitamin A supplementation during late gestation to ensure vitamin A concentrations in colostrum are adequate for calf health and performance. Sometimes, a cow can have no signs of vitamin A deficiency, but her calf will develop respiratory disease or diarrhea within the first few weeks of life, indicating the cow needed more vitamin A during late gestation.
A balanced beef cattle diet helps control costs
Vitamin A supplementation needs will depend on the concentration of vitamin A in feedstuffs and environmental conditions. Vitamin A supplementation, however, can be expensive due to various supply chain factors. Therefore, it is important to balance vitamin A from feedstuffs with adequate supplemental concentrations for cattle health and performance. Kent Nutrition Group is proud to support producers in meeting the nutritional demands of their animals. Although vitamin supplementation may be one of the expensive parts of the diet, investing in proper vitamin A supplementation can protect herd health and the producer’s bottom line.
