Magnesium for Dairy Cows: Insights on Importance and Sourcing
Dr. Noelia Silva del Rio is an associate specialist at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, based at the Tulare Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare, California. An expert in dairy cattle herd health with a focus on management, antimicrobial stewardship and dairy worker training, Silva del Rio’s research includes a wide range of topics, such as transition cow and calf health, dairy herd sustainability and animal welfare.
She recently published “Relative Availability of Five Inorganic Magnesium Sources in Non-pregnant Non-lactating Holstein Cows” in Journal of Dairy Science®. The study examined five magnesium sources in non-lactating cows. Among the five was Multesium™, a GLC Minerals product formulated to deliver production and digestive support to dairy cows.
Silva del Rio on ‘Dairy Stream’ podcast
“Dairy Stream” is a bi-weekly podcast co-produced by Voice of Milk a collaboration between Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, the Dairy Business Association and the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, working together to bring the voice of milk to communities, congress and consumers.
Dairy Stream covers topics related to sustainability, farmer involvement, market trends, policy, new technology and more. It’s hosted by Joanna Guza, a farm director at Midwest Communications.
Silva del Rio was the guest on the January 15th episode, “Importance of Magnesium.” Jeff Evenson and Sean Mangieri were also guests. Evenson is the dairy manager at Woldt Farms in Brillion, Wisconsin, overseeing an operation of 1,650 cows. Mangieri is the director of sales here at GLC Minerals and works closely with our animal nutrition team.
The 30-minute interview discusses:
- How cows absorb magnesium
- The amount of magnesium dairy cows require
- Research findings on magnesium
- And more
Investigating Magnesium Source Solubility
Magnesium, an essential mineral, is a cofactor for over 300 enzymes, meaning it’s required for multiple—and critical—biological functions. This includes energy production, digestion and immune support. In addition, magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, and muscle and nerve function, as well as activating vitamin D.
As Silva del Rio explained in her “Dairy Stream” interview, it’s not only the amount of magnesium fed to cows that is important but also ensuring the magnesium they ingest is absorbed into their bloodstream.
“We want to be conscious about, number one, the sources that we are feeding because we have differences between sources. And also, the type of feeds that we are using for the animals because they might also be interacting with the absorption,” explained Silva del Rio.
Testing How Soluble Different Magnesium Sources Are
The study tested the solubility of five magnesium sources. In this case, solubility refers to the ability of a supplement to be absorbed by an animal as determined by the amount passed through in urine.
In the study of five magnesium sources in non-lactating cows, Multesium had a similar relative availability to three commonly used inorganic magnesium sources and was superior to a calcium magnesium carbonate. Multesium showed strong absorption, meaning reduced feed rates and a lower cost per head for dairy producers.
Multesium: Superior Magnesium for Dairy Cows
Designed for exceptional solubility, Multesium is designed specifically as a dairy cattle mineral supplement that combines the benefits of calcium carbonate and magnesium to support dairy cow production and digestion. Sourced from naturally mined dolomitic limestone, Multesium consists of a proprietary blend of oxides, hydroxides and carbonites from calcium and magnesium.
The minerals used in Multesium and all other GLC products are sourced from the Great Lakes region, with the majority coming from the U.S. side. The GLC Minerals plant has a dock where mineral is unloaded just feet away from the processing site.
Quality control for GLC Minerals begins at the mine with qualifications provided to the mining partners. Minerals are tested for quality control at the mining site, tested again when GLC Minerals receives them, and again while being processed at the plant.
Final Recommendations on Magnesium for Dairy Cows
Understanding the importance of magnesium for dairy cow health, as well as the quality of the magnesium to feed cows, is a crucial component of a dairy farm’s operation. Woldt Farms uses Multiesum to provide their cows with the magnesium the animals need. As Evenson said,
“We love working with GLC Minerals because they are a local company. We’ve worked with them for 5-6 years at least with different products. They’re very knowledgeable; they’re very professional. If I have any questions, within hours I’ve got an answer if they didn’t have it right away. We are very pleased with where they source their ingredients from because they’re not that far away from us…We’re very pleased with the products they offer and overall, very happy with the company.”
To find out more about Multesium and how it provides superior magnesium to your farm’s dairy cows, contact GLC Minerals today.