Your mineral program is so important to the productivity, hardiness and overall health of your herd. Minerals are, far too often, overlooked as just a side item to put out in the pasture. There is NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL PROGRAM, when it comes to minerals. A mineral program is specific to your land, your forage fed, your herd stage, water supply, and so on. Some breeders get overwhelmed with decisions because there are so many minerals and factors to consider. Some questions you may ask yourself are:

1. What minerals, if any, are deficient on my pastures and/or in my herd?
2. Who can test my pastures to tell me if they are deficient?
3. Are my Dexters getting enough of the important minerals, through their current hay, water source?
4. Are some of the challenges we have on our farm related to mineral deficiencies or mineral imbalance?
5. Are there trusted brands of minerals to look for?
6. Why won't my Dexters eat the brands I have bought for them? Does that mean they don't need it?

Here is a great article from the Texas Agrilife on Minerals and Beef Cattle: Mineral Supplementation of Beef Cows in Texas

Here is an informative read on the late great Gearld Fry's take on Minerals for Cattle- Click HERE

1. Stage of life the Dexter is in. ( I.e. a weaned calf, a lactating cow, a bred heifer, a bull, a growing steer, etc.)
2. Time of year will have an effect on the mineral need, like needing higher Magnesium in early spring for fast growing forage areas, to prevent grass tetany. Winter time
3. Quality of your forage at any given time. (Buy hay from different suppliers with some being better than others.)
4. Quality of your water source

1. Macro-Minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Chlorine and Sulfur.) Macrominerals are documented as a percentage of the Dexter's Diet.
2. Micro-minerals/Trace minerals (Cobalt, Copper, Zinc, selenium, Iodine, Iron and Manganese.) Trace minerals are measured in (ppm- parts per million.)

• Texas Agrilife Vets recommend a 2:1 Phosphorus to Calcium ratio. This ration can be affected by additional supplements you give your herd ( Protein tubs, Feed etc.)
• Rangeland type soils inland of Texas may or may not have a high calcium rich soil. Our Bermudagrass pastures are typically 0.43% calcium where as some native forages have closer to 0.48%.
• Ranches raising cattle on the coast of Texas and Louisiana have a higher salt intake in their natural forage. This may cause the cattle to lick mineral products as they are not craving the salt as much. Texas Agrilife mentions a low salt mineral ( ADM AMPT-T Low salt or Purina Coastal Cattle Mineral,) for coastal grazing herds if mineral consumption is low.
• We don't hear a lot of Dexters having trouble with Milk fever, post calving, but adding additional calcium and lowering phosphorus levels can help prevent this condition.
• Magnesium elevated minerals are good for cattle out on green pasture, to help prevent grass tetany. That percentage is typically 5% mag but some go as high as 13%. The higher the amount the less the cattle want to eat it due to taste.

Credits to Robert Fears, "Extra Good: Which mineral supplement is needed?" March 4, 2020. Texas A&M Dept of Animal Science.

A good and easy to understand description on the function of each mineral: Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle

While trace minerals comprise a tiny part of a Dexter's diet, a deficiency or toxicity in one, can have a large effect on productivity and overall health.

• Copper and Zinc are the top two trace minerals that are commonly deficient in cattle.
• Iron is commonly found in high amounts in forage. The concern with iron is that it may inhibit the cow's ability to absorb other important minerals like copper or Manganese.
• Selenium is a mineral that is taken up by plants at different levels, depending on the plant. Selenium is stored in the cow's liver, and needs continual replenishing to maintain proper levels. A deficiency may look like the cow is having immune system issues, fertility problems and issues with normal growth. The cow may have issues with mastitis, week calves, retained placentas. A growing calf may have trouble shedding winter coats, unthrifty, chronic diarrhea, etc. It can be toxic in high levels so always talk with your vet on supplementation.

Credits to: Lynn Gordon; BEEF: Minerals Matter-Introduction to Mineral Nutrition July 30, 2020.

Dr. Gayman Helman, Amarillo Resident Director: Texas A&M Vet Med Diagnostic Lab: Over-supplementation leads to selenium toxicity in calves- September 11, 2017.

Copper Supplementation: A challenge in Cattle.

1. From grazing and dry forage (Pasture and Hay)
2. From Water
3. From supplements, like feed, mineral supplements and injections

• Primary type: when a Dexter is consuming forage that is deficient and the cow is not offered a mineral supplement to make up for the forage deficiency. This is likely not to occur if your herd is ingesting a good mineral program.
• Secondary type: when your Dexter is consuming a mineral that acts against the absorption of another needed mineral. For example, even though a cow is consuming good amounts of copper, they are also consuming sulfur amounts that prevent the copper from being absorbed like it should. This is the most common type of mineral deficiency. You will need to get your vet, maybe county extension office involved to help you figure this one out. Corrections can be made, but you need to know what those corrections are.

Graph above shows how different types of trace minerals have better or worse bioavailability.

• The most sensitive test for Magnesium levels is taken in the form of urine and blood samples. The test look at the urinary creatinine/magnesium.
• Testing of the Soil- can be done with the help of your Local extension office, to see how your grazing forage is producing. Remember that if you buy your hay from a supplier, off your farm, then the content of that forage is dictated by their individual soil content. Don't assume a hay field down the road has the same testing results as your farm. Fertilizers, prior planting, soil type etc all play a role in the minerals taken up by the grass.
• Testing your water source for your cattle is another important place to look when you are trying to locate sources of deficiency or toxicity.
• Testing of toxic plants that may be interfering directly or indirectly with your mineral program. Are the plants chemical composition inhibiting absorption of some minerals? Is the eating of the plants causing the cattle to not come to the mineral area due to not feeling well?

Cited- Texas Agrilife: Susan Himes- December 2020 Mineral Deficiencies need to be considered in cattle deaths.

Mineral supplements can vary greatly by manufacturer and formula. There are some brands with a better reputation, as they have done the research to prove their product is what they describe on the label. Some brands will add in flavor enhancers so the cattle are more likely to consume it. Some brands even put in additives so the mineral is protected from the environment ( Wind and Rain.)

The most important points to consider when purchasing minerals are calcium to phosphorus levels, salt level, bioavailability (like in copper), level of “trace minerals” in the supplement, and any additives. Salt is not stored in a Dexter's body so we have to make that available at all times. However, salt intake can have an impact on the mineral intake in general. When cattle are overindulging on a new mineral, sometimes salt is added to reduce that intake. If cattle are not consuming enough of the mineral sometimes additives like molasses or changing brands will get them to consume more. Either way, always monitor any new mineral program closely until you can establish the success of it. You don't want your herd having a complication from either too little or too much mineral intake ( toxicity can occur in some cases.) If you have concerns about mineral intake, get your large animal vet involved as they can give you more solid advice and maybe even some testing.

1. Loose, granulated, type ( Will need either the weather proof type, or a good mineral feeder setup.)
2. Hard Block type ( Put it in a draining block holder so not directly on the ground.)
3. Lick Tub, molasses formula (Heavy so typically need a tractor or two sets of hands to place in pasture.)
4. Injectables in high fast need situations.

It is typically not a good idea to provide a separate salt only block, along with a separate mineral block, because the cattle will likely crave the salt and not get enough of the mineral block.

Organic Mineral Option below

Sea-90 Essential Elements Mineral for All Livestock- Certified Organic

“Sea-90” is an organic sea salt that contains a wide variety of trace minerals, and is in a loose form that resembles chunky salt. It is certified organic, which is important to us, as most of the available salts and minerals for cattle are not organic. Note that it is a large heavy bag, and therefore it is not economically feasible to have it shipped.

Cited diagrams

Greene, L.W. 1995. The nutritional value of inorganic and organic mineral sources. Update of mineral nutrition of beef cattle. San Antonio, TX. In: Proc. Plains Nutr. Council Symp. Pp 23-32.

Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. 1996. Washington, D.C. National Research Council.

More content coming soon to this topic