HELP DEFEND CATTLE FROM THE THREAT IN YOUR PASTURE
Cargill Introduces Fescue EMT™ Mineral Defense for Cattle Grazing Fescue
HOPKINS, Minn. – The United States beef industry loses approximately $600 million annually due to the performance and reproductive consequences of cattle grazing endophyte-infected fescue. The “summer slump” as it’s known can now be left in the past thanks to Fescue EMT™, a new mineral defense with Endophyte Management Technology (EMT) from Cargill Animal Nutrition.
“For many producers, tall fescue is the only forage available for their cattle so they have no choice but to graze it,” said Ken Bryan, M.S., Cargill Beef Product Line Manager. “It must be managed properly, including through nutrition, to mitigate the negative impact fescue toxicosis can have on cattle performance and the bottom-line.”
Enter Fescue EMT. The proprietary blend of ingredients work metabolically to help defend cattle from the ergot alkaloids that lead to fescue toxicosis, also known as summer slump. Verified by independent research and trialed by producers grazing endophyte-infected fescue, Fescue EMT has been demonstrated to improve growth and overall performance.
“The cattle on Fescue EMT were in better body condition and had better hair coats,” said Donnie and Ronnie Oplotnik of Oplotnik Bros. Farms in Girard, Kansas, who tested the product last summer on commercial cattle. “We usually have to grain these cattle and really push them to put weight on. Not this year. We went into winter with better breed backs and in better shape overall.”
In independent research, the average daily gain (ADG) of cattle on endophyte-infected fescue pastures supplemented with Fescue EMT was 30 percent higher than the ADG of control groups.
“The consequences of fescue toxicity vary in severity, but all have a big impact,” said Bryan. “Cattle spend less time grazing, which means less gain. Conception rates, milk production, and female retention are all negatively affected by the stress caused by the toxicity.”
Throughout the warm season, producers grazing cattle on endophyte-infected fescue can replace their existing mineral with non-medicated Fescue EMT to help prevent many of these performance concerns. For those producers challenged by anaplasmosis on fescue forages, a medicated formula is also available, but does require a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) for purchase or use.
“Not only are producers helping defend their cattle from fescue toxicosis, but fundamentally, they can feel confident that their cattle are receiving a palatable nutrient source,” said Bryan. “Fescue EMT contains all of the vitamins and minerals you’d expect in a high quality mineral from Cargill Animal Nutrition.”
Fescue EMT™ can be purchased through Nutrena® dealers and Vigortone® representatives nationwide. To learn more about Fescue EMT, visit www.FescueEMT.com or contact your local Cargill beef consultant.
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About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 150,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About Cargill Animal Nutrition
Cargill’s animal nutrition business has more than 20,000 employees at more than 275 facilities in 40 countries. Fueled by our innovation and research, we offer a range of products and services to feed manufacturers, animal producers, and feed retailers around the world, helping put food on the plates of nearly one billion people around the world every day. Cargill’s animal nutrition business offers a range of compound feed, premixes, feed additives, supply chain and risk management solutions, software tools and animal nutrition expertise that is unmatched in the industry. For more information about Cargill Animal Nutrition, visit: http://www.cargill.com/feed.
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