United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

Veterinary Services 

Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health May 2010 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Use of Nutritional Supplements 

for Cows on U.S. Beef Cow-calf 

Operations 

Feed is a major proportion of the total cost of beef cattle 

production. On most operations, the mainstay of a beef 

cow’s diet is some type of grazed or harvested forage 

(e.g., hay/silage/pasture). As a general rule, forage with 

a crude protein content of 7 percent or more is adequate 

to maintain normal body functions in adult cattle. Protein 

and energy supplements are often provided to beef cows 

to meet the increased nutritional demands of pregnancy 

and lactation, particularly when the forage is of low 

quality. Cows that are nursing calves require the highest 

levels of protein and energy. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National 

Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducted 

the Beef 2007–08 study, which focused on beef cow-calf 

health and management practices in 24 States.*

 These 

States represented 79.6 percent of U.S. operations with 

beef cows and 87.8 percent of U.S. beef cows. As part 

of the Beef 2007–08 study, producers were asked about 

the use of three types of nutritional supplements for beef 

cows: protein, energy, and roughage. 

Protein supplements 

Protein is one of the most expensive ingredients in a 

feed ration. Many different types of protein supplements 

can be used effectively in beef cows. Several common 

supplements are: corn gluten feed, distillers grains, 

cottonseed meal, soybean meal, and urea. Urea is an 

inexpensive option for protein supplementation, but it 

must be used carefully since it is toxic if overfed. In 

addition, the efficient use of nonprotein nitrogen (urea) 

requires some readily available carbohydrate which may 

be lacking in some rations. Commercial products such 

as liquid supplements and protein blocks are also 

available for protein supplementation. These may 

include natural protein or nonprotein nitrogen. 

 

*

States/Regions: 

West: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, 

Wyoming 

Central: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South 

Dakota 

Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. 

About three of four operations (74.7 percent) fed 

protein supplements to beef cows during the previous 

12 months. These operations were asked about the 

number of days that protein supplements were given, 

and about the primary ingredient in the supplement. 

Nearly one-half of operations (48.8 percent) that fed 

protein supplements to beef cows during the previous 

12 months fed the supplements for 91 to 180 days. 

About one-third of operations (29.5 percent) fed protein 

supplements for 181 or more days (figure 1). The 

operation average number of days that beef cows were 

fed the supplement was 172.7 days (almost 6 months). 

181 or more

91 to 180

31 to 90

1 to 30

Figure 1. For Operations that Fed Protein Supplements to Beef 

Cows During the Previous 12 Months, Percentage of Operations by 

Number of Days Protein Supplements were Fed 

3.2%

18.5%

48.8%

29.5%

Number Days

Plant protein (soybean meal, cottonseed meal, etc.) 

was the primary protein supplement ingredient used on 

68.5 percent of operations and on the majority of 

operations in each region. Overall, 14.6 percent of 

operations used urea as the primary protein supplement, 

and 16.9 percent used “other” protein source for 

supplementation (figure 2). In most cases, “other” protein 

source referred to commercial products such as liquids 

or blocks in which the specific ingredients were not 

reported; therefore, the products could not be classified 

as plant or nonprotein nitrogen based. 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

0

20

40

60

80

100

Other

Nonprotein nitrogen/urea

Plant protein

Percent

Region

West Central Southeast

Figure 2. For Operations that Fed Protein Supplements to Beef 

Cows During the Previous 12 Months, Percentage of Operations 

by Primary Ingredient in Protein Supplement and by Region

All operations

Primary Protein Supplement

54.4

22.6 23.0

59.8

21.5 18.7

73.2

11.3

15.5

68.5

14.6 16.9

Energy supplements 

Energy supplements are fed to supply additional 

calories to beef cows when forage does not provide an 

adequate amount of energy. Many common protein 

supplements can also serve as energy supplements. 

The energy requirements of adult beef cows vary over 

the production cycle. Lactation is usually the time of 

highest demand for both protein and energy. 

About one-half of operations (51.0 percent) fed 

energy supplements to beef cows during the previous 

12 months. Nearly one-half of operations that fed energy 

supplements to beef cows during the previous 12 

months (45.3 percent) fed the supplements for 91 to 180 

days, and almost one of four operations (24.8 percent) 

fed the energy supplements for 181 or more days 

(figure 3). The operation average number of days that 

beef cows were fed the supplements was 162.2 days 

(just over 5 months). 

181 or more

91 to 180

31 to 90

1 to 30

Figure 3. For Operations that Fed Energy Supplements to Beef 

Cows During the Previous 12 Months, Percentage of Operations by 

Number of Days Energy Supplements were Fed 

Number Days

8.6%

21.3%

45.3%

24.8%

Corn contains a large amount of starch and has 

traditionally been an inexpensive choice for energy 

supplementation. Caution should be exercised when 

using corn as an energy supplement, however, because 

forage intake will decrease if too much corn is fed. Corn 

was the primary energy supplement ingredient used on 

57.5 percent of operations that fed energy supplements. 

For the 42.5 percent of operations that used energy 

supplements other than corn, common supplements 

were molasses, commercial products (e.g., blocks, 

pellets, liquids), corn byproducts (e.g., distillers grains), 

and oil seeds and meals (e.g., soybean or cottonseed). 

In the West region, energy supplements with a main 

ingredient other than corn predominated and were used 

on 74.3 percent of operations that fed energy 

supplements (figure 4). Shorter growing seasons in 

some Western states and the cost of transporting corn 

from the Midwest may make corn less economical in the 

West region. 

0

20

40

60

80

100

Other

Corn

Percent

Region

West Central Southeast

Figure 4. For Operations that Fed Energy Supplements to Beef 

Cows During the Previous 12 Months, Percentage of Operations by 

Primary Ingredient in Energy Supplement, and by Region

All operations

Primary Energy Supplement

25.7

74.3

49.8 50.2

62.7

37.3

57.5

42.5

Roughage supplements 

Supplemental roughage, such as harvested hay or 

corn stalks, is often provided for beef cows, particularly 

during winter months. 

Nearly all operations (97.1 percent) used roughage 

supplements during the previous 12 months. Most 

operations that fed roughage during the previous 12 

months fed the supplement for 91 to 180 days 

(65.8 percent). Only 2.3 percent of operations that fed 

roughage supplements to beef cows fed the 

supplements for less than 31 days (figure 5). A higher 

percentage of operations in the West region 

(8.3 percent) fed roughage supplements for 1 to 30 days 

compared with operations in the Central region 

(0.1 percent). The operation average number of days 

that beef cows were fed the supplement was 158.5 days 

(about 5 months). Producers were not asked about the 

primary ingredient in the roughage supplement. 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

181 or more

91 to 180

31 to 90

1 to 30

Figure 5. For Operations that Fed Roughage Supplements to Beef 

Cows During the Previous 12 Months, Percentage of Operations by 

Number of Days that Roughage Supplements were Fed 

Number Days

2.3%

10.8%

65.8%

21.1%

Summary 

Resources, such as local university extension 

agents1

 or veterinarians, are available to assist beef 

producers in designing an optimum feeding program. 

Appropriate supplements for beef cows should be 

selected based on the stage of production and the 

quality of the forage. Optimization of feed rations and 

efficient use of supplements can result in greater 

profitability for the beef producer. 

1

University extension office Web sites that have information on beef 

cattle nutrition: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_beef_cattle_nutrition, 

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubs/PDF/B1322.pdf

For more information, contact: 

USDA:APHIS:VS:CEAH 

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7 

2150 Centre Avenue 

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117 

970.494.7000 

E-mail: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov 

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov

#560.0510 

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