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moisture liquids (less than 30 percent mois- ture) that carry Purina’s Intake Modifying Technology, which ensure that cattle take in multiple, small meals per day versus sitting at the feeder one or two times per day. Multiple, small intakes of the supplement maintain a balanced rumen environment, which in turn increases and improves forage digestion. Improved utilization of a ranch’s most available resource ­— forage ­— is the goal of the Accuration Range Liquid sup- plementation program. By improving forage utilization, cattle stay in a more consistent body condition score range year around, thus improving their productivity. Forage is a necessity for this program, and if forage is limited, then the supplementation program has to be altered to provide the necessary fiber for the cow’s diet. Accuration Range liquids come in a vari- ety of formulations; however, there are two main formulations that are utilized in brood cow herds. The Accuration Range Liquid 32- 10 is a 32% protein, 10% fat liquid feed that is most applicable to the majority of oper- ations. This product is a maintenance type product that will maintain the current body condition of the herd with improvement in body condition seen over longer periods of time. The Accuration Range Liquid 24-10 is a 24% protein, 10% fat product that is used when higher consumptions are desired to add body condition back to a herd. In ad- “I take care of the factory each and every day of the year...I make sure my cattle are supplemented on a year around basis, which in turn has resulted in more calves and heavier calves at weaning time.” dition, this product is utilized some during spring green-up when forages are high in moisture and cattle are in need of more supplementation to avoid body condition loss for this brief period of the year. These products in combination offered the rancher above the flexibility to ensure that his cattle were receiving the necessary nutrients on a daily basis to make sure the factory was running at an optimal level. Economics definitely play a part in the decision to move to a year around supple- mentation program using Accuration Range Liquid. In the above conversation, these two ranchers continued to discuss this scenar- io and discuss the economic impact. On average, cow herds in this area will average 1.25 lbs. to 2.0 lbs. per head per day con- sumption of Accuration Range Liquid on a year around basis. From a cost standpoint, the range is $90 to $140 per cow per year for Accuration Range Liquid supplement. Typ- ically, cattle on the low end of the range are stocked less dense on the property resulting in more, higher quality forage available on a year around basis. How does it pay off in the end? Herds on good management programs including good culling practices, sound animal health programs, and good supplementation pro- grams typically realize calf crops that deliver 10% to 25% more calves per year in a 90 day breeding season than the average non-sup- plemented cow herd in the area. In addition, these same supplemented herds not only get more calves at weaning, but the calves are typically 10% to 15% heavier. With the value of our beef today, it pays to take care of the factory and ensure that our beef factory is running as efficiently and economically as possible. If you need any help in designing a supplementation program for your cattle operation, please do not hesitate to contact one of our United Ag Beef Specialists. United Ag Beef Cattle Specialists Bunge Halla [phone] [email protected] Michelle Frankum [phone] [email protected] Michael Grahmann [phone] [email protected]