The Basic Principles Of Dry-Season Nutrition For Cattle

Dry-season nutrition for cattle is essential, especially in the summer rainfall regions and given the declining nutritional value of grassveld in the country’s interior during winter.

- Christal-Lize Muller

Most plants are dormant in winter and besides the structural carbohydrates they contain, the plant material that remains above ground lacks extra nutrients. By then the plant will have stored most of these nutrients as reserves.

Winter lick supplements for livestock serve to supplement the limited nutrients of the remaining plant material. Stockfarm spoke to André Pienaar, ruminant nutritionist at Trouw Nutrition South Africa, and Francois van de Vyver, national technical manager at Voermol, about the principles of dry-season nutrition.

Value of a winter lick programme

The excellent recent rain season gave rise to an abundance in grassveld and increased the veld’s nutritional value, says André. However, the changing season brings on plant senescence, after which the quality of grassveld starts to deteriorate. Plants translocate their nutrients to their root systems in late summer and winter, in preparation for the growth phase during the next rain season. This means that cattle will ingest fewer nutrients when they graze dry veld.

As plants age, their energy decreases and the fibre fraction, especially lignin, increases and becomes indigestible for animals. As the dry season progresses, less energy is available due to higher fibre levels in grass; at the same time, palatability will also decrease. As a result, cattle will ingest less energy.

Producers need to supplement these deficiencies in the available pasture by providing supplementary feed to their animals. Lick supplements can make a valuable contribution in maintaining high production levels, as well as maintaining growth and reproduction, he explains.