Summertime Mineral Needs and Fly-Control

Importance of mineral

Grass is greening up and producers are thinking about needs when taking cattle out to summer pasture. While turning out cattle to pasture may seem like an easier time of year, this is still an important time to maintain and improve health of the herd through nutrition. Grass does not provide all the essential vitamins and minerals cattle need to continue to be successful in their respective programs. Central Valley Ag offers two in-house beef loose mineral lines to fit any operation’s needs. The Power Cow mineral line is a weatherized formula built in our Duncan facility directed towards producers in all areas and the Power Range mineral line is the non-weatherized formula built in our Ainsworth facility directed towards our Sandhills customers.

Impact of flies and benefits of fly-control

With warmer weather approaching, so is the summer-time nuisance of flies. These small pests not only are annoying to all species, but also can cause some serious damage and impact performance of cattle. Horn flies alone are estimated to cause an economic loss of at least $1 billion in the U.S. annually (https://beef.unl.edu/beefwatch/2020/flies-pastured-cattle) through decreased milk production, reduced weight gain, and changes in grazing patterns. Using fly-control mitigates these effects, decreasing the amount of time standing in water and bunching, increasing time spent grazing, and ultimately positively impacting overall performance.

Fly control modes of action

There are many methods of fly control available for cattle. CVA offers three feed-through options that can be added into any mineral to increase performance of your cattle. Insect Growth Regular (IGR) is a feed-through fly-control add-in that works by passing completely through the cow, killing the larva within the manure, and interrupting the fly life cycle. This product only treats horn flies. Diflubenzuron (ClariFly®) is a feed-through fly-control method with two modes of action: passing through the cow to kill larva within the manure, interrupting the fly life cycle, and working through the skin to give off an unpleasant odor that deters flies. This product treats horn flies, face flies, stable flies, and house flies. Garlic is an additional feed-through fly-control option at a lower cost. While there is no outstanding scientific proof this add-in works, some ranchers have noticed a difference in the behavior of their cattle when adding garlic to their feed program. The theory is garlic gives off an unpleasant scent through the skin to deter flies.

Summer contracting opportunities from CVA

Central Valley Ag produces mineral year-round to fit your needs and is offering mineral contracting opportunities to lock in your price for the summer. Any mineral qualifies.

Contact your local sales representative to order your CVA Power mineral today!

Central Valley Ag produces mineral year-round to fit your needs and is offering mineral contracting opportunities to lock in your price for the summer. Take advantage of our "last chance" mineral promo today to receive $50/ton off of any CVA Power branded Hi Mag or fly control mineral. Promo ends Friday May 10th, 2024. 

• Feed Sales Manager: Spencer Shifflet – (308) 883-0949 (Ainsworth, NE)
• Feed Sales Specialist: Merlin Schlote – (402) 649-9383 (Elgin, NE)
• Feed Sales Specialist: Justin Tracy – (308) 962-4255 (Gordan, NE)
• Feed Sales Specialist: Nathan Bracht – (402) 380-0826 (West Point, NE)