Typical mineral budget

[badaxemoo]

I was wondering what a typical mineral budget would be for a cow-calf operation. How much $ per cow per day?

I'm curious how much an organic mineral program costs in comparison to a typicial conventional one.

Organic and conventional replies would be appreciated.

 

[jkwilson]

The Vitaferm I use is about $18 for a 50lb bag. The recommended rate is 4oz per cow per day. Depending on how you protect it from the weather and what your cows might be craving because it's missing in your forage, you might go through more or less.

This is high priced compared to farm store minerals, but I've had so much better conception rate, shorter breeding season, and more vigorous newborns since I switched, I'm afraid to stop.

 

[IL Rancher]

All depends on what you have in your mineral and who you buy from and how much you buy..

The mineral we use right now is less than 14 bucks a 50 pound bag but it has no phosphorous in it as we are feeding distillers grains which are high in p.

When summer comes along, or we decide to add IGR or CTC or go with chealated Minerals, Biomos or something else it could bump all the way up to 28 a bag.. Most are formulated for 4 ounces a day so on the cheap end it is 7 cents a day per head and the highend would be 14 cents a head per day. Still don't like seeing the 1400 a ton bill staring at you but we generally don't use stuff that expensive.

 

[Saltydawg]

I use a mineral prepared at the local feedmill tailored for my region and cows eating mostly grass (Timothy, Orchard, and clover). I offer it to them free choice.
It costs me about $17 dollars for 50lbs and includes the salt for the cows (my cows get no other source of salt other than what occurs naturally....no blocks).

Cost is a couple pennies a day when averaged out over the herd for the year and I've had no issues that would cause me to consider changing their mineral.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We've been using the Bio Remedies mineral/molasses tubs exclusively for couple of years, free choice, year-around. Retail price for 125# tubs ranges between about $60 and $75, depending on formulation. Have had great results with condition of cattle. Have no idea how much each A.U. licks/eats per day, month...depends on weather, forage condition, hay consumption, etc. We don't bother with loose minerals. However, ours probably consume around $2.50 to $5.00 a month each 1000# A.U.???