Beef Nutrition

All Beef Nutrition Content

Young, black angus cattle eating feed in a feedlot.

Healthy Guts Make Healthy Cattle

Feed additives, including probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics, can be incorporated in beef cattle diets to help improve animal health, increase performance, and reduce antibiotic use.

Three cattle feeding on supplemental forage near cornstalks.

Cold Temperatures Impact Forage Intake

Decreasing temperatures impact the amount of energy required by cattle. Learn some management considerations to reduce the possibility of metabolic disturbance during periods of colder weather.

Mother cow feeding in a snow-covered field.

Feeding for the Future: Maternal Protein Intake

Maternal nutrition is extremely important, not only to the cow, but also to its unborn calf, which relies solely on its mother for nutrition. Learn some expert tips for getting your cows and their calves off to a great start.

Black angus calf standing near a cattle shelter.

Colostrum Puts the Best Hoof Forward

Newborn calves have little to no immune system upon birth. One of the keys to starting them out right is ensuring that they receive enough colostrum, which is packed full of nutrients and antibodies.

Small herd of cattle grazing in a snow covered field

SDSU, NDSU Extension hosting beef cattle feeding programs

January 22, 2024

The SDSU Extension Dakota Alternative Beef Cow Systems Symposium is designed to help farmers and ranchers navigate the rising costs of the pastures and forages used to feed beef cattle. There will be two in-person events and one virtual event via Zoom.

A small group of red-colored calves grazing late-season rangeland.

Meeting Growing Calf Requirements With Protein Supplementation While Winter Grazing

Due to their growth requirements, growing calves need higher-quality nutrition than cows, and they will require more protein and energy supplementation when grazing winter range.

Large herd of black angus cattle eating from a feedbunk.

Ruminants: A Digestive Powerhouse

Ruminants such as cattle are important animals, as they turn forage into high-quality protein, such as meat and milk. It is important to understand their digestive system so we can better support their unique role in our food chain.

A brown cow grazing near a frozen creek.

Icebreakers: Winter Water Supply

Cold weather creates a challenge for producers who house their herds in areas where there are limited water resources and available natural water sources may be frozen over.

A single black cow grazing late-season pasture.

Meeting Cow Requirements While Winter Grazing

Regardless of grazing strategy, it is critical that producers provide proper supplementation to allow cows to meet nutrient requirements throughout the winter grazing season.

Group of brown cattle gathered in a farmyard.

Rumen Degradable Protein Versus Rumen Undegradable Protein

Understanding the proportion of rumen degradable protein and rumen undegradable protein is important when determining the best feed option to meet cattle requirements.