The stocker grower and backgrounder are smart but tough. They obviously love the challenge of raising freshly weaned calves to their next and final production stage, yet several significant challenges are associated with the stocker business.
As with most in the livestock business, the stocker growers look to their peers and other trusted individuals in the industry for advice and counsel. As a BioZyme® dealer, we want to arm you with the information you need to help these producers grow their stocker cattle.
Strategies to Help Your Stocker Grower Customer
Every challenge a stocker grower faces is an opportunity for you to help them while growing your own business. Let’s explore some key strategies to overcome the biggest challenges the stocker grower faces in the cattle business
- Managing Market Volatility
While we are not market advisors, we can suggest that your stocker growers manage their operations wisely. Tools like futures contracts, options or Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) insurance to protect against price drops. Furthermore, your customers might consider running multiple enterprises, such as combining stocker operations with cow-calf or row crops to spread financial risk.
Finally, stocker growers sometimes sell cattle at different weights or times of the year to take advantage of favorable market conditions.
2. Adapting to Weather & Environmental Challenges
Most stocker growers will use rotational grazing to optimize pasture utilization and maintain forage availability when they have available resources. Since it seems there is a drought every year in some parts of the country, it is key to have a backup plan. Stockpile forage, use cover crops or source alternative feedstuffs.
Finally, be sure your customers provide windbreaks, shade and adequate water sources to protect cattle from extreme weather.
3. Improving Health & Nutrition Management
While we might not be market advisors, we do know a few things about animal health and nutrition. Be sure to recommend to your customers to use the Gain Smart® program featuring Gain Smart and VitaFerm® products.
Furthermore, stocker growers can purchase preconditioned cattle. Calves vaccinated, weaned and properly managed before arrival are less prone to stress and sickness. Minimize disease introduction by quarantining new arrivals, maintaining clean water sources, and limiting exposure to outside cattle.
The Gain Smart Difference
Gain Smart® is a line of free-choice vitamin and mineral supplements for stocker cattle that promotes healthy, economical pounds. With four different formulas based on your management scenarios, this mineral is designed to maximize efficient gain.
Gain Smart contains AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, organic copper, iodine and zinc for maximum bioavailability and hoof health. It also provides nutritional support for a healthy immune system. It can be fed as a loose mineral or mixed into a ration.
The stocker grower strives for his or her stocker cattle to achieve moderate weight gain while maintaining lean muscle growth. Average daily gain (ADG) for stocker cattle typically ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per day, depending on forage quality, nutrition and management practices. Producers aim for an efficient cost-per-pound gain by utilizing high-quality forages and optimizing feeding strategies.
One advantage of feeding the Gain Smart mineral is that it is research-proven to add at least .25 pound of gain per day to stocker cattle. Not only does Amaferm increase the immune response, but it also increases growth and performance.
Gain Smart Provides Options
Currently, Gain Smart is available in 4 formulas for various management scenarios. All of which can help your customers stay profitable, regardless of the cost of cattle. The 4 different free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement formulas for stocker cattle include:
1. Gain Smart Stocker
Gain Smart Stocker helps your herd maximize efficient gain.
It is designed for those feeding a medium to high forage diet and works well for both cool- and warm-season grasses. It is the most versatile and can be fed in multiple places under multiple conditions.
2. Gain Smart Stocker Wheat
Gain Smart Stocker Wheat maximizes efficient gain on wheat or small grain pasture.
This product supports a higher-quality forage diet rich in protein and nitrogen, such as wheat, small grains and legumes.
3. Gain Smart Stocker HEAT®
Gain Smart Stocker HEAT maximizes efficient gain when temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It contains HEAT technology, a combination of essential oils and garlic, to support animals when heat and insects are a challenge.
Gain Smart Stocker HEAT is ideally suited for backgrounding and yearling cattle on grass. It contains plant extracts to help maintain circulation and support animal performance and gain in heat and fescue situations. The plant extracts are research-proven to support animals’ ability to maintain normal body temperature. This mineral is ideal in the hot summer months or any time when grazing fescue. It also includes garlic to deter insects.
4. Gain Smart Stocker Balancer
Gain Smart Stocker Balancer RU 1600 maximizes efficient gain and balance high-grain diets when mixing TMR rations. It includes rumensin for improved feed efficiency.
Gain Smart Balancer RU 1600 is designed for calves being backgrounded or fed in a dry lot situation on a mixed grain ration. It complements the co-products, such as distiller’s grain and cereal byproducts, and works well with fermented feed like silage. It contains no phosphorus but does have rumensin. Gain Smart Balancer can be fed to heavier weights, and it is a good selection when trying to improve feed efficiency.
Get Gain Smart in your Warehouse Today
If you know you have stocker cattle operators in your area, make sure they know about Gain Smart mineral. Sometimes, our customers know BioZyme as the VitaFerm® or Sure Champ® brands. However, ensuring that your customers know all brands is vitally important.
For more information, visit the Gain Smart blog or contact your Area Sales Manager today!