AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Bob Van Saun, professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State University. He is also a member of the AABP Nutrition Committee. If you are interested in beef or dairy nutrition, consider joining the committee by visiting this page.

Van Saun starts by reviewing why mineral and vitamin transfer are important beyond their biological role in fetal development and reminds us that milk does not have a significant quantity of trace elements and some vitamins. It is important to provide a diet that is adequate in vitamins and minerals to the dam to ensure the developing fetus is not deficient and that the newborn calf is very dependent on what we feed the dam.

Van Saun reviews how minerals and vitamins are regulated in the body and what we know about the placental transfer of minerals and vitamins to the fetus during gestation. He offers suggestions for practicing veterinarians for evaluating the nutritional status of dams. He suggests starting by evaluating the ration that has been formulated to ensure it is consistent with recommendations from NASEUM 2021 (dairy) and NASEM 2016 (beef). The veterinarians can then submit biologic samples for vitamin and mineral analysis which can be done via liver biopsy or blood testing as well as when each test is applicable. In addition, liver samples from stillborn fetuses can be submitted to develop a database for clients mineral and vitamin programs and to determine if stillbirths are due to deficiencies.

Links:

Hostetler CE, Kincaid RL, Mirando MA. The role of essential trace elements in embryonic and fetal development in livestock. Vet J. 2003;166(2):125-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-0233(02)00310-6. PMID: 12902178

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) 2021. Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25806

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/19014