Research: Get Your Heifers Cycling, Breeding Sooner
ANALYSIS - New research presented recently at the Joint Annual Meeting reviewed the effectiveness of MAAC, Novus International's glycinate trace mineral, in improving reproductive performance in beef cattle.
3 August 2016
2 minute read
Dr Heather Tucker, research scientist with Novus International, speaks with TheCattleSite's Sarah Mikesell about new research shared at the Joint Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, US.
"In this trial, we compared MAAC to inorganic trace minerals (ITMs). We wanted to reduce the level of minerals with MAAC, and so we reduced it by 33 per cent," Dr Tucker said. "We measured the body weight and performance of these animals and saw no difference with the reduction."
"What we did see, interestingly enough, the animals fed MAAC had greater obtainment of puberty as we assessed by cycling during the trial. At the end of the 91-day trial, we saw MAAC heifers cycling more than the ITM counterparts. What this means to the farm is that they can reduce overall minerals, which will be friendly for the farm's budget as well as the environment and not lose any performance."
A significant concern for beef farmers is efficiency. Dr Tucker encourages producers to work with their nutritionist to ensure their mineral program is helping their breeding stock to cycle as soon as possible.
The 2016 Joint Annual Meeting brings together the American Society of Animal Science, the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), the Western Section of the American Society of Animal Science, and the Canadian Society of Animal Science to discuss research and progress in the industry.
