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Boosting Cattle Herd Health and Profitability with Marks-Min®
Cattle producers are reaping the benefits of improved herd fertility, increased weight gain, and fewer stock losses thanks to strategic supplementation with trace minerals
Cattle producers are reaping the benefits thanks to strategic supplementation with trace minerals and vitamin B12. Marks-Min products optimise trace mineral and vitamin B12 levels in a single dose.
Ballarat cattle producer, David Wells, now sells heavier steers and heifers after optimising trace minerals and B12 with Marks-Min. “We weighed them at marking and recorded their weights over nine months,” says David. “The heifers increased by 11.6 kilograms over that time period and the steers increased 8.6 kilograms compared to untreated cattle.”
Tom Baker, Principal of Woonallee Simmentals in South Australia’s south-east, uses Marks-Min to save time without compromising animal health outcomes. “Combining trace minerals with B12 in a single dose allowed us to reduce an injection while getting the same benefit. Reducing an injection means we can save on labour and time.” he says. He’s also noted the improvement in cattle health. “With this overall improved calf health, we are seeing less respiratory issues and less scours.”
Getting the most out of feeder cattle in the cold Mount Gambier winter has been a priority for Benara Pastoral Company Farm Manager, Brad Creek. He uses Marks-Min to boost minerals important for his animal’s immune system to maximise per hectare production – even when there’s limited pasture available.
Treating cows once a year, pre-joining, has improved pregnancy rates and enabled the females to thrive – regardless of seasonal conditions. “We are finding our preg-test numbers have been up since doing a pre-joining treatment,” says Brad. “At joining time the feed is short, and the cows are doing it tough, I feel they really get a benefit from the trace minerals.”
Boehringer Ingelheim Technical Services Manager, Dr Gareth Kelly, said an animal’s need for trace minerals and vitamin B12 can be intensified at times of rapid growth, reproduction, or stress – such as feed restriction, transport, or entry into a feedlot. And in some cases, the trace minerals in soil consumed via direct grazing aren’t enough to optimise productivity, and supplementing through feed or orally isn’t always efficient or accurate. “There’s variation in individual intake, low absorption from the digestive system and competition with other dietary components, limiting the success of a supplementation program,” says Gareth.
“Using injectable mineral supplementation can avoid these variables by being rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and made readily available to support optimal health and production. Minerals not immediately required are stored in the liver and mobilised as required.
Marks-Min was recently part of one of the largest injectable trace element studies done to date.
Click here for the Remarkable Results.
NEWS
Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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