Ralco is pleased to announce the expansion of their proven beef product line with Summit™ Mineral. This complete line of mineral supplements are specially formulated to help cattle achieve peak performance with Ralco’s patented ruminant technology as well as optimize mineral nutritive levels, ratios and bioavailability through every season and challenge.
“The goal behind Summit is to take the complexity out of mineral,” said Dr. Jeff Hill, Beef Nutritionist and Brand Manager for Ralco. “I’ve spent over 20 years in beef nutrition and mineral formulation. That in combination with the 150 years of experience on our beef technical team at Ralco, we’ve put in the work so producers don’t have to worry about being mineral experts too.”
Mineral nutrition is critical for cow/calf performance. It can impact milk production, bone development, fetal development, disease resistance, fertility, immunity and more.
“Up until recently, the true bioavailability of the mineral supply from a forage base to the animal were not well understood,” said Dr. Hebbie Purvis, Senior Beef Nutritionist for Ralco. “This short coming is where most mineral supplements miss the mark. We formulate Summit differently by accounting for both the animal’s requirement and the actual mineral levels and bioavailability supplied by their forage base to ensure all requirements are being met. This helps avoid excess cost and waste to the producer associated with over supplementation of unneeded nutrients.”
For example, too much calcium in a mineral formulation impacts phosphorus absorption in cattle. “Over supplementation of calcium in a mineral is common but often unnecessary when it’s at adequate levels in the forage,” said Dr. Purvis. “This formulation error inhibits the absorption of phosphorous which is the most expensive mineral to a producer.”
“Beyond mineral bioavailability in forage and the animal, the source of trace minerals is also critical to protect rumen function,” said Dr. Hill. Trace minerals like copper and zinc have antimicrobial properties that can negatively impact the microbial population in the rumen if improperly sourced. “Summit specifically focuses on key trace minerals that are designed to bypass the rumen and Ralco’s patented technology then takes rumen efficiency to the next level,” said Dr. Hill.
Fifty years ago, Ralco entered the beef industry with patented Microbial Catalyst® technology. This groundbreaking approach enhances microbial processes in the rumen to release more enzymes for increased fiber breakdown and dry matter intake resulting in more energy to be released from feedstuffs for production and growth.
Research over the last five decades shows Microbial Catalyst fed cattle have higher average daily gain, greater weaning weights, better reproduction performance and improved body condition scores resulting in greater profits to cow/calf producers.
“We took this founding technology and evolved it to Catyl-Zyme™ for even greater fiber digestibility and performance inside Summit,” said Dr. Hill.
Catyl-Zyme fuels rumen microbes beyond Microbial Catalyst by incorporating a yeast culture that improves microbial growth over the original technology alone. This added microbial growth leads to even better rumen function, fiber digestibility, volatile fatty acid production, gain, milk production and reproductive performance.
“Ultimately, the idea behind Summit came from a desire to make both a quality mineral and provide a level of service producers deserve,” said Dr. Hill. “Our beef nutritionists on staff will consult individually with producers on operational goals, seasonal challenges and forage quality issues to ensure they get the best mineral program for their farm.”
Summit has five standard mineral products with the flexibility to build add-on options for seasonal challenges like fly control and heat stress mitigation. All Summit products can be direct shipped to a producer’s farm if a distributor/dealer is not available.
About Ralco Ralco is a third-generation family-owned multinational company with distribution in more than 40 countries. Ralco is a leading global provider of natural solutions to maximize nutrient conversion in plants and animals. Learn more at https://ralcoagriculture.com/.