WyomingRancher
Well-known member
What are people giving for mineral? I just priced some at $1033/T :shock: .
Mineral Cost
- Thread starter WyomingRancher
- Start date
loomixguy
Well-known member
Sounds about right.
You sure weren't pricing Moorman's Hi Mag, though! :shock: :shock:
You sure weren't pricing Moorman's Hi Mag, though! :shock: :shock:
loomixguy
Well-known member
Keep it up, Jiggsy, and I won't let you "interview" our new Asian employees who we are sponsoring for visas to come over here and stimulate packages!
No free tats, either!
No free tats, either!
Shane M. Moe
Member
$746.00 for purina wind and rain high Mag.
Faster horses
Well-known member
You should compare ingredients instead of companies when talking about the price of mineral.
The amount of phos in your mineral has a great deal to do with the price as it is the most expensive ingredient.
Salt has gone up quite a bit as has copper.
Another thing to look at is how much grain products (or by-products) are in your mineral. Grain is much cheaper than mineral ingredients, but are added to mineral because either 1.)it is used to cheapen up the mineral, or 2.)it is used as a flavoring agent. Either way, grain does nothing to help the mineral hold up well. When it gets wet, it gets hard and clumps together.
Hope this helps!
RSL: I'm curious. Why would you need different mineral pre-calving as opposed to re-breeding? I never heard of that before. Our customers are using a mineral with less phos when the cows get on spring grass, which is cheaper, but never higher cost mineral pre-breeding over pre-calving.
Thanks.
The amount of phos in your mineral has a great deal to do with the price as it is the most expensive ingredient.
Salt has gone up quite a bit as has copper.
Another thing to look at is how much grain products (or by-products) are in your mineral. Grain is much cheaper than mineral ingredients, but are added to mineral because either 1.)it is used to cheapen up the mineral, or 2.)it is used as a flavoring agent. Either way, grain does nothing to help the mineral hold up well. When it gets wet, it gets hard and clumps together.
Hope this helps!
RSL: I'm curious. Why would you need different mineral pre-calving as opposed to re-breeding? I never heard of that before. Our customers are using a mineral with less phos when the cows get on spring grass, which is cheaper, but never higher cost mineral pre-breeding over pre-calving.
Thanks.
The mineral is mized specifically to our feed resource. Basically when the feed test is in then the mineral mix is designed. When we breed on grass the mineral component is different than on stored feed or swaths. As well, the Vit E is jacked up in our precalving mineral since we are in a selenium deficient area.
per
Well-known member
RSL said:
Pre calving we use high levels of Vit E as well. I like to mix my own blend. This year the Vit E is very expensive. The supplier said it is because it is in vogue in the health nut market.
jodywy
Well-known member
After testing forage, hay and bleeding cows we got a coustom mix , high Se and Cu in the mix.cost a little over $1200/ton :shock:
badroute
Well-known member
In reference to FH's comment about grain I believe she is correct but I also believe the same can be said about salt. Some minerals are compsed of 20-40% salt. Either way you put it they are both cheap product that are either used as a flavoring agent or to cheapen up the mineral.
Another thing often overlooked when buying mineral is cost per head per day. Alot of high dollar minerals are only 2oz. minerals when another brand that is $200-300 cheaper is a 4oz. mineral. Just something to think about.
Another thing often overlooked when buying mineral is cost per head per day. Alot of high dollar minerals are only 2oz. minerals when another brand that is $200-300 cheaper is a 4oz. mineral. Just something to think about.
gcreekrch
Well-known member
Our 2-1 custom mix, high copper, 100ppm sel mineral is 1441.60 per metric ton. No salt, no grain. Mix it with loose salt to limit to 2oz per day. We also have Bovatec added to act as a coccidiostat. This has helped our scour problems in older calves immensely.
Shortgrass
Well-known member
My feeble understanding is to watch particle size to insure balanced mineral consumption, 2 to 1 at least on calcium to phos, and vite E content. Mine is over 1K per ton. I suspect it is cheaper than mineral that cost less because of herd health, and condition.
Faster horses
Well-known member
You are right on, Shortgrass.
In the summer we have found you can use a higher cal to phos mineral which will save money. Our customers have been doing it for years and it works. When the grass dries up, around Aug. 1, then the cows will overconsume the lower phos mineral and we recommend the 6-7% mineral then. This has helped with annual mineral cost to the producer.
Particle size is really important, as you mentioned. Even in these times, good mineral doesn't COST it PAYS.
In the summer we have found you can use a higher cal to phos mineral which will save money. Our customers have been doing it for years and it works. When the grass dries up, around Aug. 1, then the cows will overconsume the lower phos mineral and we recommend the 6-7% mineral then. This has helped with annual mineral cost to the producer.
Particle size is really important, as you mentioned. Even in these times, good mineral doesn't COST it PAYS.
John SD
Well-known member
Last week I bought Vigortone 3V4S on the "buy 10, get one free" special. My pallet of 44 total bags (2200 lbs) was exactly $960, or approx $873/ton or approx $21.82/bag.
I had previously fed 3V2S but 3V4S was cheaper and has less salt, significantly more calcium, slightly less phosphorus. Almost a 4:1 Ca
ratio. The rest of the mineral/vitamin package is identical.
FH, I can't understand why that even makes sense? Looks to me like 3V4S is hands down "more mineral for the $" Surely salt is still the cheapest ingredient?
3V4S is 19.7-23.6% Calcium. 6% Phosphorus. 6-7.1% salt
3V2S is 13.5-15.2% Calcium. 7% Phosphorus 18.2-21.8% salt
I had previously fed 3V2S but 3V4S was cheaper and has less salt, significantly more calcium, slightly less phosphorus. Almost a 4:1 Ca
ratio. The rest of the mineral/vitamin package is identical.FH, I can't understand why that even makes sense? Looks to me like 3V4S is hands down "more mineral for the $" Surely salt is still the cheapest ingredient?
3V4S is 19.7-23.6% Calcium. 6% Phosphorus. 6-7.1% salt
3V2S is 13.5-15.2% Calcium. 7% Phosphorus 18.2-21.8% salt
Faster horses
Well-known member
I guess you haven't priced salt for awhile, John.
I hadn't either, but our customers tell me how much it is, and it
ain't cheap. I've had customers figure the mineral with salt
3V2S and without salt 3V4S and it was cheaper to buy the
mineral with the salt in it, than to go buy the salt extra.
Now if you are in an area where the ground provides a lot of salt, or there is a consumption problem then you sure don't need the salt.
You are probably like the producers we deal with here--they stock up during the sale and it will last them til the next sale. It's a good way to do business. I've been real happy the company still offered 4 free bags with 40. (you are really supposed to get 80 and then get 8 free, but we put the orders together so everyone gets a free bag with 10.) :wink:
BTW, John, we have come up with a mineral called Western Range that is like the old favorite, 32SPLUS, but it has 6% phos instead of 7%. It was based on grass samples in this area that were taken in August. It's working really well here. It's red, like the 32SPLUS.
I hadn't either, but our customers tell me how much it is, and it
ain't cheap. I've had customers figure the mineral with salt
3V2S and without salt 3V4S and it was cheaper to buy the
mineral with the salt in it, than to go buy the salt extra.
Now if you are in an area where the ground provides a lot of salt, or there is a consumption problem then you sure don't need the salt.
You are probably like the producers we deal with here--they stock up during the sale and it will last them til the next sale. It's a good way to do business. I've been real happy the company still offered 4 free bags with 40. (you are really supposed to get 80 and then get 8 free, but we put the orders together so everyone gets a free bag with 10.) :wink:
BTW, John, we have come up with a mineral called Western Range that is like the old favorite, 32SPLUS, but it has 6% phos instead of 7%. It was based on grass samples in this area that were taken in August. It's working really well here. It's red, like the 32SPLUS.
Aaron
Well-known member
$1381 to $1672 per ton for 2:1 mineral, no salt.
$1527 to $1745 per ton for 1:1 mineral, no salt.
Don't buy mineral by the ton, but in 55 lb bags, which is currently $48 CDN for a 55 lb. (25 kg) bag of 1:1. Dealer doesn't bother bringing in 2:1 because of only $2 difference in price per bag.
:shock:
$1527 to $1745 per ton for 1:1 mineral, no salt.
Don't buy mineral by the ton, but in 55 lb bags, which is currently $48 CDN for a 55 lb. (25 kg) bag of 1:1. Dealer doesn't bother bringing in 2:1 because of only $2 difference in price per bag.
:shock:badroute
Well-known member
Speaking of red colored mineral. A few years back an old cattleman told me that "red is dead" when it comes to mineral color. He apparently wasn't a fan of iron oxide. Can anyone elaborate more on this? Another interesting note, in this area if we dont have a 1:1 ratio you will never keep up when it comes to keeping mineral in front of the cows.