Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Derrell Peel, Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson discusses Cost Effective Supplementation for Growing Calves
From a moisture standpoint, the summer of 2025 has been good for many Oklahoma cattle producers. As a result, many of us have ample standing forage. This week we address the Oklahoma Gold and Oklahoma SuperGold supplementation programs as a means of adding profit potential. Both programs were designed to cost effectively improve the growth of calves and stocker cattle grazing pastures in late summer and fall. Both are based on limit feeding high protein supplements.
Crude Protein (CP) content and digestibility of warm season grasses declines during mid-summer and fall. No doubt many Oklahoma producers watched green pastures turn brown during August when there was little rain coupled with several weeks of intense heat. This weather pattern corresponds with declining quality of standing forage. In late spring and early summer calves can gain 2 – 3 lbs./day on the same pastures that now may be limiting gains to less than half that amount, even with ample standing forage. Why? Because cattle’s growth performance is based on the most limiting nutrient in their diet. The same grasses that would have contained over 10% CP in late spring and early summer are now likely well below that level. Regardless of our warm season forage type, (native grasses, Bermuda, sorghum Sudan or millet), the same maturity pattern holds true. A 500 lb. calf gaining 1.5 lbs./day requires a diet containing a minimum of 10% CP. Bottomline: at this point, CP has become the growth limiting factor in a calf’s diet.
The Cost Effective Solution
If you have standing forage to be used before wheat pasture comes on, or just wanting to cost effectively add weight to growing calves, the key to improving growth rates is protein supplementation. As opposed to high energy creep feeds, Gold and SuperGold programs are designed to improve growth rate through high protein supplementation when ample standing forage is available. The Oklahoma Gold program includes a 38% CP supplement at a rate of 1 lb./day and includes an ionophore additive along with vitamins and minerals. The Oklahoma SuperGold program is similar as it includes supplementing a 25% CP at a rate of 2.5 lbs./day. The Oklahoma Gold program is one of the most cost effective and industry proven supplementation programs ever developed. From early June to October, several trials conducted at OSU, indicate feeding 1 lb./day of Gold can increase gains of stockers grazing summer pastures by up to 0.6 lb./day. Furthermore, the Gold program is based on a low volume of feed and offers the flexibility of feeding every-other-day. In some situations the SuperGold feeding program may offer advantages. Remember, both of these feeding strategies work based on ample standing forage. More details for both feeding strategies can be found at http://osufacts.okstate.edu in the fact sheets referenced below.
References:
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet ANSI-3032. Oklahoma Gold Q&A.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet ANSI-3033. Oklahoma SuperGold Q&A.
Mark Johnson, OSU Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, sat down with Robert Hodgen, King Ranch CEO and OSU alumnus, to explore cattle industry insights and the role of information asymmetry in ranching. Discover how access to better data impacts beef cattle producers, market decisions, and the future of ranching economics. Whether you’re a cow-calf operator, cattle breeder, or industry leader, this conversation offers valuable takeaways for smarter ranch management on SunUpTV form September 1, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEjTuLLN_s4
