—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 9, 1977 16 • •••••••a •••••«••••••• •••••••••••«•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••'< Minerals are essential to life Animals, while amaaing creatures in their ability to convert grass and grain into meat, milk, and eggs, are by no means as versatile as the green plants themselves. In other words, the chemical substances required by animals to adequately nourish them are much more numerous and generally more complex than those needed by plants. Let us simplify these groups of substances and call th»m “food factors,” that is the simplest chemical substances which will adequately nourish an animal. Last column we discussed one of the most important food factors, protein; it being made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, some sulfur, and most im portantly, nitrogen. These elements, except nitrogen and sulfur are also supplied by carbohydrates, fats, and water of the diet. The remaining elements necessary to life are usually thought of nutritionally as minerals. They are different from other food factors in that they are available to the animal when ingested as the element itself, and not combined with other elements to make more complex compounds. Minerals are essential to life, but it is also essential to have them in a proper balance. Overfeeding minerals can have as bad an effect as a ration that is deficient. An imbalance can have a marked effect on the health of the animals. Mineral mixtures should not be fed in discriminately. Lets take the dairy cow for example. Minerals make up about 5 per cent of a cow’s weight. Milk produced by that cow contains about .8 per cent minerals. A cow producing 15,000 pounds of milk a year will secrete about 120 pounds of minerals into the milk, plus what she needs for growth if not mature, maintenance, and development of the unborn calf. If maximum production is to be obtained, mineral supplementation is very important. A large part of the needs can be supplied by forages and grains. Additional minerals can be supplied with simple mineral sup plements. There are no “special additives” or “secret ingredients” claimed by some companies at great ex pense to the farmer. There are only so many essential minerals (both major and trace minerals) and these should be available in low cost simple mineral sup plements. Lowered production and toxicity can result from low quality or improperly formulated minerals or even from misuse of good minerals. The major feed suppliers are usually the best source of well formulated mineral mixes with sufficient testing behind them to have proven dependable. The mineral elements required by dairy cattle are calcium, phosphous, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, sulfur, iodine, iron, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, manganese, zinc, and selenium. Salt is one of the most important, containing sodium and chlorine. Most common dairy feeds have a very low salt content and should be supplemented. A half to one per cent salt in the concentrate or grain mix will supplement the needs of a producing dairy cow. Sail toxicity can result from overconsumption if fed free choice, but is usually not a problem if adequate water is available. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D are involved together in bone and tooth formation, synthesis of milk and normal reproduction. The utilization of calcium and phosphorus depends on the level of each, the ratio between the two and an adequate supply of Vitamin D. An im balance of the two minerals and vitamin D usually results in milk fever at calving time and rebreeding problems later. Calcium to phosphorus ratios of 1.5:1 or 2:1 are necessary to maintain proper balance. Phosphorus deficiency is probably the second most common deficiency in cattle, next to a lack of total feed. Phosphorus definiency will be even more greatly aggravated when an over-abundance of calcium is fed. Calcium deficiency as such is not commonly observed in cattle. It usually occurs when too little roughage is fed. A good source of calcium is green, leafy legume hay and pasture. Good sources of phosphorus are oil meals. Grains are poor calcium sources, intermediate in phosphorus. Magnesium is closely associated with calcium and phosphorus, in body metabolism. Deficiency results in what is called “grass tetany” or “winter tetany” in cows. A level of .2 per cent magnesium figured on a complete dry matter basis is usually adequate. Potassium is likely to be deficient when high levels of concentrates are fed. Suggested levels of potassium are about 1 per cent, again figured on a complete dry matter basis. Sulfur is essential for certain proteins, and when high protein roughages and natural protein supplements are fed, sulfur deficiency is rarely a problem. But when heavy corn silage or urea diets are fed, sulfur can become critical, as you are substituting natural sulfur containing protein with sulfur free non protein nitrogen. Suggested level is .2 per cent of ration dry matter. It’s the season for bar becueing chicken - an American tradition that’s gaining popularity around the world. In Spain, for in stance, the National Broiler Council reports that there are little shops serving nothing but barbecued chicken, and that they’re as popular in some Spanish cities as pizza parlors are in the United States. Lorry Says... We’re Celebrating Our 3rd Ainweraary J ► ► ► ► ► ► In Our New Home At 1655 Rohrerstown Road... CHECK THIS SPECIAL L 135 H.P. - Dual Power Transmission 540 & 1000 Speed P.T.O. U Fully Independent P.T.O. Full Enclosure - Air Cond. Cab (Roll-over Protected) ill during the month of July, we are making an e) t effort to make our Anniversary Month the biggest ► we have ever had! This means a better deal for you can now buy a new tractor or equipment at BIG sat L and not have to pay any payments or interest until 1978 £ Stop in today at the home of the friendly people and • why more and more of your neighbors are shopping here! LARRY ♦ With Equitable Down Payment m LANCASTER FORD TRACTOR, INC ■ ► 1655 Rohrerstown Road Ph: 717-569-7063 The only known function of iodine is formation compound in the thyroid gland which helps control animals metabolism. Very minute amounts of plementation are necessary, and an overabundant* be provided if a trace mineral premiz plus a trace mu salt is fed, plus iodine containing compounds to aid® rot and lumpy jaw control. One source of iotk , adequate. Iron, copper and molybdenum are also required u, minute amounts. In adult cattle under usual manage and feeding conditions deficiencies do not often ocem calves restricted to an all milk diet iron deficiency a result in anemia and poor growth. Manganese requirements are low but sugn requirements range from 20-100 PPM (parts per nuj Common rations usually supply sufficient mangas is known to have many functions, and to ensure agu deficiency it is usually included in most mineral ml' Cobalt is required for proper functioning of micro-organisms as they use cobalt to synthesi 812 which is required in their growth and multi Vitamin 812 in turn is required for blood Legume hays are good sources of cobalt, grass 10 PPM is adequate. Zinc is essential for normal skin condition and healing. 40-80 PPM is adequate. Last of the minerals is selenium, probably the about which the least is known at the present' also the most research being conducted. Deft selenium has been suggested for many problr twisted stomachs to retained afterbirth. Much being done at the present time on its important, disease conditions in many species of animals relationship with vitamin E. It is a vital but poisonous trace element. Selenium is being pi fortunately, as an illegal feed supplement in soi It can be very toxic and should be used 01 professional consultation. Only one tenth part pi in the diet will safely prevent selenium deficit animals. Toxicity or poisoning can occur at only ft per million. Where selenium deficiency is knt suspected of existing, intramuscular injectu selenium supervised by your veterinarian is mended by Penn State and found to be quite satisf Selenium cannot legally be added to cattle ratio strongly discouraged, except on a prescription lII* In the early 1900$ Anton Haislan spent 22 montl his wife and daughter in a carriage a total of 15, through the streets of Paris. FORD 9600 Take Flory Mill Exit off 283 and go V* mile toward East Petersburg. The New Home of The Friendly People LARRY GROFF Salesman LIST ’24,740 ♦18,998 J*
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