We just brought home three young beef steers and put them out on decent green summer pasture. A neighbor said I should be putting out free-choice minerals, but the grass looks good and lush to me. Do I actually need to offer a mineral supplement this time of year, or is good pasture enough? First time with cattle and I don’t want to mess it up.
Well, welcome to the cattle side of things — three steers on green summer pasture is a real good start!
Your neighbor is giving you solid advice, and here’s the short version of why: even lush, healthy-looking grass is only as good as the soil it grew in. Pasture can look terrific and still be short on selenium, zinc, copper, or iodine — depending on your region, your soil history, what’s been grazed there before. You just can’t tell by looking.
Free-choice loose minerals (a good all-purpose beef cattle mineral, usually red or brown, available at any farm store) let the animals take what they need and ignore the rest. It’s not expensive, it’s low-effort — just a covered mineral feeder in the pasture — and the downside of skipping it can show up slowly in ways that are hard to trace back: poor weight gain, rough coats, reproductive issues down the road.
A few practical notes:
- Loose mineral beats block. Blocks are hard for cattle to get enough from; loose is the way to go.
- Keep it covered and dry. Wet mineral clumps and wastes.
- Salt separately if possible. Some folks use a plain white salt block alongside the mineral so the cattle aren’t limiting mineral intake just because they’ve had enough salt.
- Your local farm store or extension office can often tell you what deficiencies are common in your county — that’s worth a quick call so you can pick a mineral formulated for your area (selenium levels vary by region and matter a lot).
For any specific health questions about your steers as you get going, your local large-animal vet is a great relationship to build early — even just a check-in call. They’ll know your local conditions too.
You’re asking the right questions right out of the gate. That’s exactly the right instinct. Good luck with those three!