Veterinary officers display animal feed supplements at the Seeds of Gold farm clinic at the National Agricultural Crops Resources Institute Namulonge. PHOTO/LOMINDA AFEDRARU
Improving livestock breeds is not just about genetics, nutrition plays a crucial role, especially the provision of essential minerals.
Experts emphasise that effective livestock policies and investments must address the full spectrum of livestock needs, including feeding practices, animal health, environmental sustainability, and economic value. One often overlooked but critical area is mineral supplementation in cattle diets.
Understanding the role of minerals in livestock production
Minerals are vital for cattle productivity, influencing growth, reproduction, immunity, and milk or meat yield. They are categorised into macro-minerals (required in larger amounts) such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, and micro-minerals (needed in trace amounts) such as zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, and cobalt.
Historically, early herders provided only basic feed and water, with little understanding of mineral deficiencies.
Over time, research linked cattle health problems—such as poor growth, bone deformities, and fertility issues—to lack of specific minerals. This led to the adoption of mineral supplementation practices across many cattle-keeping regions, including Uganda.
An American based writer Kim Kester, who is the regional livestock extension educator for Lafayette, Green Grant and Iowa counties in Wisconsin in US, in a publication, Farm Progress, explains details of how to provide minerals to cattle as below:
Essential minerals
He notes that minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulphur are micro minerals required by cattle.
Calcium and phosphorus are crucial for skeleton development, animal strength and weight maintenance and milk production while magnesium is important for metabolism and function of the nervous system.
To avoid infections, dairy farmers should observe regular cleaning of cow’s breasts. PHOTO/LOMINDA AFEDRARU
Why minerals are important to cattle
Kim explains that cattle need micro minerals to ensure high milk and beef production. Cooper, cobalt, iron, iodine, manganese, selenium and zinc are key microorganisms for cattle. They largely contribute to immune function and reproduction.
The mineral content in pasture and harvested forage is variable based on the forage species and plant maturity as well as soil type and fertility.
Individual animal requirements also fluctuate depending on their current development stage and reproductive status. Mineral supplementation is used to meet the animal’s physiological requirements.
Delivery methods for minerals
Mineral delivery methods differ from farm to farm and there are considerations for each method. He contends that protein tubs and free choice mineral mixes are most common though feeding buffet style minerals has some interest.
Most farmers in the US use buffet cafeteria on salad bar mineral feeding to animals and this offers different mineral type to cattle in separate containers.
This allows the animals to select which minerals they want to consume.
However mineral buffets do not provide sufficient amounts of each mineral to meet requirements due to cattle inability to discern whether they need a particular mineral or not.
Cattle only have an appetite for salt which is often used in mineral mixes to encourage and manage consumption. Palatability of each mineral is a challenge because the animals are of taste and smelling scent oriented.
Veterinary officers display animal feed supplements at the Seeds of Gold farm clinic at the National Agricultural Crops Resources Institute Namulonge. PHOTO/LOMINDA AFEDRARU
Pasture and mineral provision system
A publication by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), analysing Uganda's livestock production systems through to 2050, highlights that in pastoral systems, cattle are moved frequently in search of pasture and water.
According to a 2016 report by the Uganda Investment Authority, approximately 90 percent of the national cattle herd is raised under pastoral and mixed smallholder farming systems.
The pastoral system is predominant in various regions of the country. In the North Eastern sub-region, it is especially common in the districts of Kotido, Moroto, Soroti, and Kumi. In the South Western sub-region, the system is widespread in Ntungamo, Mbarara, Masaka, Ssembabule, and Rakai. It is also practiced in Central Uganda, particularly in the districts of Luweero, Nakasongola, and Kiboga.
Pastoralists typically keep herds of varying sizes, with some individuals managing up to 100 cattle each.
These herds mainly consist of indigenous breeds such as the Ankole and local Zebu (commonly referred to as Mwebaze breeds).
The cattle are housed in kraals, enclosures, or left to graze freely in open areas. Feeding is largely based on natural pastures, including communal grazing lands and fallow fields.
Occasionally, crop residues are used as supplementary feed.
However, due to the reliance on natural and often shared resources, pastoralists have limited control over the quantity and quality of available feed.
Challenges
Pastoralists have limited access to animal health services and, in many cases, animals are only vaccinated during government’s vaccination campaigns.
Common cattle disease pastoral areas are contagious bovine pleura pneumonia, Brucellosis and tick-borne diseases.
In the Karamoja region, high herd prevalence of tuberculin reactions has been recorded Carcass weight at slaughter for adult animals is about 110-120 kilogrammes.
Milk and meat are the main sources of livelihood for pastoralists and milk is self-consumed or sold and live animals are sold in livestock markets or to traders for slaughtering and beef production.
Animal feed supplements on display at the Seeds of Gold farm clinic at the National Agricultural Crops Resources Institute Namulonge. PHOTO/LOMINDA AFEDRARU
Mineral supplement regime
Today, providing a complete mineral supplement is a common practice for many cattle keepers, especially in regions with mineral-deficient soils.
Organisations such as Makerere University are actively promoting the use of mineral supplements such as urea molasses blocks for beef production. Some formulations may also include plant protein products, processed grain by-products and hydrolyzed vegetable oil.
These can be processed directly from the University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security (COVAB) but experts also train farmers to carry out the formulation from their various locations.
Other development partners re FAO where experts have trained farmers especially in Karamoja Sub region where they access soil and do the mixture.
Moses Lote, a locally trained expert, has been training farmers from the Eteteunos Agro-Pastoral Field School in Lokilala village, Nadunget Sub-county, Moroto District, on how to make mineral blocks for livestock.
The process involves collecting soil from anthills, which is crushed into fine sand, roasted over fire, and then mixed with crushed animal bones, ash, salt, and water.
This mixture is molded into brick-shaped blocks and left to dry under the sun, making them ready for livestock to lick in kraals.
