February is the month of love with Valentine’s day falling right in the middle of the month which also happens to be about the same time the National Farm Machinery Show is going on in Louisville. The significant other of a farmer might expect that their Valentine’s celebration will include a trip to Louisville or perhaps a trip around the pasture to check for new baby calves. Quick growing grass and frost can pose a fatal threat to cows with calves but CO-OP can keep farmers ahead of the game.

February can be a challenging month for cattle farmers because the grass is going to start growing pretty well by March and those mama cows are going to be watching the ground for any green sprigs they can find after eating dry hay all winter. If not prepared, a farmer can lose valuable cows because of grass tetany. Grass tetany is caused by a magnesium and calcium deficiency in cows that are nursing calves when grass is rapidly growing and freezing temperatures lock nitrogen and potassium into the grass. The cow then eats the fresh grass and the magnesium and calcium is depleted trying to clear out the nitrogen and potassium in the bloodstream which makes the cow take a turn for the worse and she could die without treatment. Grass tetany is preventable by supplying cows with a magnesium supplement before the grass starts growing in order to build up the magnesium supplies within the cow’s system. Grass tetany can affect cows anytime the grass is growing quickly, there’s a chance of frost or freezing temperatures and the cows are nursing calves. For this reason, some farmers take the guess work out of when to feed hi-mag mineral and feed it all year long.

Knowledgeable and experienced CO-OP sales people try to persuade cattle owners to switch to a high magnesium supplement by using loose hi-mag mineral, a tub or a block. During the month of February, CO-OP has $1.00 off each bag of Hi-Mag mineral purchased. Farmers invest a lot of time and money into their herds and will do whatever they can to keep them as healthy as possible and we at CO-OP try to keep the farmers informed and on top of things!

“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.” Proverbs 27:23