On today’s Cow-Calf Corner, Dana Zook, NW Area Livestock Specialist, talks about smarter gain with ionophores.
When I was growing up, my dad often told me to “work smarter, not harder”. There was always a lot to get done on the farm and I had the tendency to power through the work rather than think about an easier way. Consequently, in my current job I like to discuss products or strategies to help a producer be more efficient. In livestock nutrition, a product that can help a producer be more efficient and “work smarter” is an ionophore.
What is an ionophore? Ionophores are feed additives that were developed to improve efficiency and prevent coccidiosis. The two most common ionophores utilized are monensin (Rumensin® and Monovet®) and lasalocid (Bovatec®). In addition to the improvement of efficiency (more gain/less feed), ionophores have a derived benefit of preventing and controlling digestive disorders such as acidosis and bloat.
How do ionophores work? Ionophores improve feed efficiency simply by increasing the amount of energy available to the animal through selection of more efficient microorganisms in the gut. Ionophores are labeled for both grazing and feedlot cattle. Oklahoma State Animal Science has historically led the charge in research around the use of ionophores for grazing cattle and there are benefits in a variety of grazing situations. For instance, cattle gain is improved 0.15 to 0.2 pounds by including an ionophore in a free-choice mineral. An additional feeding strategy supported by a great deal of research recommends offering ionophores in small package supplements to grazing cattle to complement forage nutrients and ensure proper consumption. Performance varies depending on the forage base however the supplement plus ionophore lends an additional 0.2-0.4 pounds of daily gain. Note that cattle must have proper overall nutrition, adequate forage, and have a healthy status to achieve optimum gains.
It should be emphasized that pure forms of ionophores are very potent and require extreme precision when added to blended feeds and supplements. When feeding ionophores in a pure form or within a supplement, label instructions should be strictly followed. Monensin is toxic specifically to equine species and some monogastric animals. Ionophores can be toxic to any animal when overconsumed.
Increased gain across the board, less bloat, and improved health for growing cattle of all stages; now that is what I call “working smarter”! If you are interested in what an ionophore can do for your cattle operation, reach out to any OSU County Extension Educator or Area Livestock Specialist. We would be happy to work with you.
References:
Oklahoma GOLD Q&A Late-Season Supplementation Program for Stocker Cattle AFS-3032
Oklahoma SUPERGOLD Q&A: Late Season Supplementation Program for Stocker Cattle AFS-3033
Beck, P., T. Hess, D. Hubbell, G. D. Hufstedler, B. Fieser, J. Caldwell. 2014. Additive effects of growth promoting technologies on performance of grazing steers and economics of the wheat pasture enterprise. JAS, Volume 92, Issue 3, March 2014, Pages 1219-1227. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-7203
Fieser, B.G., G.W. Horn, J.T. Edwards, and J.R. Kountz. Effect of Mineral Supplementation with or without Monensin and Energy Supplementation on Growth Performance of Wheat Pasture Stocker Cattle. https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/beef-extension/research-reports/site-files/documents/2005/fieser.pdf
