Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. July 2025 issue
      2. June 2025 issue
      3. Cereals event guide 2025
      4. May 2025 issue
      5. April 2025 issue
      6. March 2025 issue
      7. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      8. February 2025 issue
      9. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      10. January 2025 issue
      11. December 2024 issue
      12. November 2024 issue
      13. October 2024 issue
      14. September 2024 issue
      15. August 2024 Issue
      16. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      17. July 2024 Issue
      18. Cereals Supplement
      19. June 2024 Issue
      20. May 2024 Issue
      21. April 2024 Issue
      22. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      23. March 2024 Issue
      24. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      25. February 2024 Issue
      26. January 2024 Issue
      27. December 2023
      28. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      29. November 2023
      30. October 2023
      Featured

      July 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltJuly 9, 2025
      Recent

      July 2025 issue available now

      July 9, 2025

      Cereals event guide 2025 available now

      June 20, 2025

      June 2025 issue available now

      June 2, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Dairy

    New study shows that even pasture kept cows can be deficient in beta carotene

    John SwireBy John SwireMarch 24, 20222 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    New study shows that even pasture kept cows can be deficient in beta carotene

    A recently published study (Mary et al, 2021) showed that even pasture fed cows are short of beta carotene at some points in the breeding cycle. Researchers measured vitamin E and beta-carotene status of dairy cows from a number of countries selected to reflect differences in climate, forage type and feeding systems.

    Of all sampled cows, 44% were deficient in beta-carotene, meaning that their blood concentration was below 3.5 mg/l, the minimum recommended. Beta-carotene acts as an antioxidant for oocyte cells, while vitamin A which is produced from beta-carotene, influences follicle development. The study showed that the 4 weeks around calving seemed to be a critical period for maintaining beta- carotene blood levels to support the health of the dairy cow.

    Poor forage

    Poor forages had much lower levels of beta carotene and that was reflected in the cow’s status too. Although the beta-carotene content of forage varies greatly due to numerous factors, green leafy materials such as lucerne contain a lot more beta-carotene than alternatives such as cereals. This study provides the rationale for the inclusion of lucerne in the rations of dairy cows at key times, even for those kept at pasture. For those fed on predominantly cereal based rations or when forage quality is poor, adding lucerne to the ration becomes even more important.

    Lucerne is a commonly used ingredient in feeds for a wide variety of livestock as well as horses and small pets such as rabbits. Lucerne has a number of benefits to the dairy cow such as providing a natural source of protein, digestible fibre as well as naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Lucerne also contains more beta-carotene than alternative cereal feeds which makes lucerne a great addition to any dairy cow’s diet.

    For more information on Dengie’s range of lucerne based farm feeds, contact James on 07802829525 or via the website.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleA record year for Lemken
    Next Article Agrii launches the UK’s first cloud-free imagery service for precision farming applications
    John Swire

    Read Similar Stories

    Hi-Spec to introduce new diet feeder at Royal Highland

    June 16, 2025

    Lely introduces the Vector MFR Next

    April 3, 2025

    Palm-free fat supplement helps dairy farms to cut CO2

    March 31, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Polaris’ latest line-up of off-road vehicles put to the test

    July 12, 2025

    Polish factory key part of Joskin business

    July 11, 2025

    Trelleborg announces updates to ProgressiveTraction tyre range

    July 10, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.