Find tips on using the tables outlining the intake guidelines for beef cows provided by The National Research Council (NRC).

Nutrition is an essential component in an operation dealing with beef cows, and it’s also the most expensive component, according to an article on the South-Florida Beef-Forage Program’s website. The article shares an array of tables created by The National Research Council (NRC) that lists different intake needs—supplementation and water, for instance—of different groups of livestock, and tips on using the guidelines for beef cows. Explore a summary below.

Tips for Supplementing Beef Cows

According to the NRC, “Meeting the basic nutrient requirements of beef cows is a key component of meeting cow herd production and profitability goals for the beef cattle enterprise.” Nutrition is one of the key elements to success as a beef cattle rancher, and ensuring beef cows receive adequate nutrition can impact cow production and thus profits. The charts outline basic nutrient requirements for an array of livestock.

Additionally, the South-Florida Beef-Forage Program’s article gives tips for maximizing the use of these charts. Tips include:

  1. “Know the nutrient requirements for your particular group of animals.”
  2. “Know the composition of your feed. Ideally we would recommend that you analyze the feed through a certified feed laboratory in order to get a precise value on each batch.”
  3. “Contact your Extension Agent to review and help you formulate a diet for your herd. Feed companies also have animal nutritionists that can help you get this done. If you want to learn how to do it, we encourage you to work with a professional until you get the fundamentals on how to estimate your feed formulation’s value.”

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