I’ve spent half my life watching salesmen in clean fleece jackets try to convince me that their proprietary, multi-stage mineral blend is the magic bullet for every lackluster calf in the parish. They’ll hand you a glossy brochure and call it a complete guide to minerals and trace elements, but they never mention that most of that expensive grit is just going to end up as expensive manure on the hill. I learned that the hard way back in ’94, when I spent a small fortune on “premium” supplements only to realize my ground was so depleted of selenium that the sheep were practically running on empty regardless of what I threw in the trough.

I’m not here to sell you a subscription to a supplement brand or a way to make your margins look prettier on a spreadsheet. What I’m going to give you is the truth about what actually reaches the blood and what just wastes your time. We’ll look at the real cost of deficiency, how to read your soil before you reach for the bag, and how to ensure you aren’t just flushing cash down the drain every time you top up the troughs.

Understanding Complete Guide to Minerals and Trace Elements

Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not interested in a chemistry lecture. But if you want to understand why one heifer thrives while her twin looks like she’s been through a hedge backwards, you have to look at the distinction between macrominerals vs trace minerals. The big stuff—calcium, magnesium, phosphorus—is what keeps the skeletal frame standing and the metabolic engine turning. But it’s the tiny, almost invisible amounts of trace elements like copper, selenium, and cobalt that often dictate whether your breeding program succeeds or stalls out.

The trouble is, most people treat mineral supplementation like a “set and forget” task. They buy the cheapest bag of lick available and assume the job is done. But you have to consider the bioavailability of mineral supplements; if the chemistry is wrong or the soil is depleted, you aren’t feeding the animal, you’re just feeding the dirt. I’ve seen plenty of lads get caught out by the signs of mineral imbalance—a bit of poor coat quality here, a drop in fertility there—only to realize they’ve been chasing symptoms instead of fixing the actual deficiency in the diet.

Key Things to Know

Now, before you go ordering a pallet of whatever the salesman tells you is the latest “breakthrough” in nutrition, you need to understand the difference between macrominerals vs trace minerals. It’s a bit like your tractor; you can’t run on just a bit of oil, but you also can’t fill the tank with nothing but additives. You’ve got the big stuff—calcium, magnesium, phosphorus—that forms the structural backbone of the animal. But then you have those tiny, nagging trace elements that act like the fine-tuning on an engine. If you miss the big stuff, the cow collapses; if you miss the small stuff, she just stops performing, and that’s a much quieter way to go broke.

You also have to stop looking at the price per bag and start looking at the bioavailability of mineral supplements. I’ve seen men spend a king’s ransom on cheap salts only to realize the stock isn’t actually absorbing a lick of it. It’s a waste of good money. If the mineral isn’t in a form the gut can actually use, it’s just going to end up in the dung heap, and you’re essentially paying to fertilize your bottom field.

Practical Tips and Steps

Don’t go out and buy the biggest bag of premix you can find just because the salesman says it’s “all-in-one.” That’s how you end up with a shed full of expensive dust that your cattle won’t touch. Start by looking at your soil and your grass first; if the ground is depleted, no amount of fancy supplementation will fix a fundamentally broken diet. I’ve learned the hard way that understanding the bioavailability of mineral supplements is more important than the total percentage on the label. If the animal can’t actually absorb it, you’re essentially just paying to fertilize your pastures.

Next, keep your eyes on the animals, not the ledger. You’ll see the signs of mineral imbalance long before the vet shows up—look for dull coats, strange gait patterns, or ewes that just don’t seem to have the “get up and go” during lambing. I don’t trust a single blood test to tell the whole story, as blood mineral testing accuracy can be hit-or-miss depending on what they ate that morning. Use your eyes, watch the behavior, and match the supplement to the specific need of the season.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest mistake I see is the “spray and pray” approach—buying the cheapest bag of lick on the market and assuming the job is done. People get caught up in the price per tonne and forget about the bioavailability of mineral supplements. If the minerals aren’t actually being absorbed by the animal, you aren’t feeding them; you’re just providing expensive manure. I’ve seen too many lads stare at a lackluster heifer and assume she’s just “slow,” when in reality, she’s starving for something specific that isn’t in that cheap mix.

Another trap is relying solely on visual cues. By the time you notice the obvious signs of mineral imbalance, like coat condition or reproductive failure, you’ve already lost the profit margin on that animal. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, but don’t go blindly trusting every lab report either. I’ve learned the hard way that blood mineral testing accuracy depends entirely on when and how you pull the sample. If you’re testing a hungry animal or one that just finished a lick, you’re chasing ghosts. Don’t guess; just get the timing right.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, you have to stop looking at mineral supplements as an extra line item on the invoice and start seeing them as a hedge against the things that actually break your bank. I’ve spent too many years watching good stock struggle because I thought I could save a few quid by skipping the lick or buying the cheapest bag on the market. It doesn’t work that way. You can get caught up in the math of macrominerals vs trace minerals, but if you aren’t watching the animal in front of you, the numbers won’t save you.

If you want to get this right, stop chasing the shiny brochures and start watching the ground and the weather. If your grass is poor, your supplement needs to be better, and it needs to be something the animals can actually use. I’ve learned the hard way that the bioavailability of mineral supplements matters far more than the total percentage listed on the label. If it’s sitting in the trough and not getting into the blood, you’re just throwing money at the dirt. Keep your eyes on the feet, the coat, and the calving rates, and you’ll know if you’re winning.

Five ways to stop throwing money at the soil and start feeding the beast

• Stop trusting the bag more than your own eyes. A salesman will tell you a mineral lick is a ‘complete solution,’ but if your grass is coming up thin and yellow after a wet spring, no amount of overpriced grit in a tub is going to fix a fundamental soil deficiency. You have to look at what’s actually growing in the field before you start buying the cure.
• Test the ground before you test the cattle. It’s much cheaper to send a soil sample to the lab than it is to try and fix a deficiency once it’s already showing up in a lamb that won’t thrive or a cow that won’t hold a calf. If you don’t know what’s in your soil, you’re just guessing, and guessing is an expensive hobby.
• Watch the weather, not just the trough. A heavy rainfall can leach the very elements you’re trying to supplement right out of the topsoil, and a long dry spell can change how much of those minerals the grass is actually making available. If you aren’t adjusting your supplementation based on the season and the moisture, you’re likely either wasting money or leaving gaps.
• Don’t fall for the ‘all-in-one’ trap. There’s a temptation to buy the most expensive, complex mineral mix on the market because it promises everything. Most of the time, you’re paying for five things you don’t need just to get the two things you actually do. Figure out what your specific ground is lacking and buy for that, rather than paying for a fancy label.
• Consistency beats intensity every time. I’ve seen lads buy the best trace element supplements money can buy, only to let the troughs run empty for three weeks because they got busy with something else. You can’t “catch up” on minerals; once a deficiency sets in, the damage to the animal’s performance is already done. Keep the supply steady or don’t bother.

The Bottom Line on Minerals

Don’t mistake a full trough for a healthy animal; if your soil is washed out and your grass is thin, you’re just throwing expensive lick at a problem that needs better ground management.

Watch the feet and the fertility, not just the coat; a deficiency won’t always show up as a dull look, but it’ll show up in a lame ewe or a heifer that won’t hold a calf.

Stop buying the marketing gloss; check your own soil tests and your own stock’s performance before you let a salesman convince you that you need every new additive on the market.

The Bottom Line on the Trough

At the end of the day, you can have the best genetics in the county and the finest pasture money can buy, but if those trace elements aren’t hitting the bloodstream, you’re just running a very expensive hobby. We’ve talked about the cost of skimping, the importance of testing your soil rather than guessing, and the way a deficiency can quietly erode your margins through poor fertility or weak lambs. It isn’t about buying the most expensive bag of lick on the market; it’s about ensuring the right balance is actually available when the animal needs it most. If you aren’t watching the relationship between your ground and your troughs, you’re essentially leaving your profit to chance.

Farming has never been about the quick fix or the magic product that promises the world, and minerals are no different. It’s a game of observation, patience, and making sure the math adds up before the season gets away from you. I’ve seen enough seasons pass to know that the farmers who thrive aren’t the ones with the most gear in the shed, but the ones who understand the fundamentals of their biology and their land. Get the minerals right, keep your eyes on the stock, and you’ll find that the hardest days become just a little bit more manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I’m already putting out a decent quality lick in the spring, am I just throwing money away by adding more trace elements to the concentrate?

If your spring lick is hitting the right targets for the season, you aren’t necessarily throwing money away, but you might be overcomplicating it. The trouble is, a lick is a blunt instrument; it’s designed to bridge a gap. If your concentrate is already doing the heavy lifting, adding more trace elements is just paying for expensive urine. Check your soil and your grass first. If the ground is providing it, leave the wallet in your pocket.

How do I actually know if my soil is depleted, or am I just guessing based on how the ewes are looking?

If you’re guessing based on the ewes, you’ve already lost the battle. You might see a dull coat or a ewe that’s struggling to hold condition, but by then, the deficit is baked in. You need a proper soil analysis from a lab that actually knows what they’re looking at. Don’t just look at the NPK; look at the trace elements. If the soil is empty, you’re just feeding the grass, not the livestock.

Is it worth buying the expensive, branded mineral mixes, or can I get the same result by mixing my own from bulk salts?

Look, I’ve sat on both sides of this. If you’ve got the time to be a chemist and the precision to weigh out micro-elements without making a mess of it, mixing your own can save you a few quid on the margin. But most men don’t. If your mix is off by a fraction, you aren’t just wasting salt; you’re losing the health of the whole herd. Sometimes, paying for the brand is just paying for the certainty.

About Alasdair Ruthven-Moss

Everything on a livestock farm comes down to grass, feet and cash flow, and most people get interested in the wrong one. I write about what a suckler cow actually costs to keep for a year, why lameness loses more money than any disease anyone names, and which piece of kit will sit in the shed unused after the first season. I have made expensive mistakes in every one of these areas and would rather write them down than watch a younger farmer buy the same lesson.