Selecting the right free-choice mineral program is an important part of cow-calf management, but knowing whether a program truly meets cattle needs can be challenging. A two-part webinar series, Making the Most of Your Free-Choice Mineral Program, will help producers better understand mineral supplementation and provide practical tools for evaluating and improving their mineral programs.
The webinars will be held on July 13 and July 20, both starting at 8 p.m. Central Time. Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, as the second webinar builds on concepts introduced in the first.
Registration is free. Participants can register at https://go.unl.edu/UNLMineralWebinar to receive the link to the webinars.
The series is designed for cow-calf producers, Extension educators, nutrition consultants, and anyone interested in improving mineral decision-making in cow-calf production systems.
The first webinar, Cow-Calf Mineral Basics, will provide the foundation for evaluating and selecting a mineral program. Topics include understanding mineral supplementation, recognizing how subclinical mineral deficiencies can affect cattle performance, identifying which minerals require consistent intake versus those stored in the body, and exploring common mineral challenges in cow-calf operations. Participants will also learn how forage testing can guide mineral decisions and why evaluating mineral interactions is just as important as considering individual mineral concentrations.
The second webinar, Meeting Needs and Managing Intake, will focus on applying mineral knowledge to practical management decisions. Participants will be introduced to a new mineral evaluation calculator that can be used to compare commercial mineral products or develop custom mineral formulations. The session will also include real-world examples and practical strategies for managing mineral intake in cow-calf herds.
Brought to you by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with funding provided by the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program and the Iowa Beef Industry Council.
