August 2025 Newsletter

Vitamin A Supports Performance

Elizabeth Hines, Nutritionist

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble nutrient that animals must obtain through their diet. It supports vision, reproduction, growth, and immune function. All livestock have the ability to store vitamin A in their liver, and because of this it is often overlooked as a critical nutrient. However, stores do deplete over time, and needs for vitamin A increase during times of stress or increased production pressure for all livestock. Let’s take a few moments to review what vitamin A does for livestock.

Livestock can obtain vitamin A directly through preformed sources in their diet (as retinol or retinyl esters) or indirectly by consuming beta-carotene, a precursor found in fresh forage. Beta-carotene is converted to retinol in the intestinal mucosa, retinol is then incorporated into chylomicrons and transported to the liver for storage. Once stored in the liver, retinol is mobilized as needed through binding to retinol-binding protein (RBP) and transportation through the bloodstream to target tissues. Retinol plays a critical role in maintaining tissue integrity, growth, and immune function.

Key physiological roles of vitamin A include:

· Facilitating vision by forming rhodopsin and allowing for vision in low light

· Maintaining integrity of epithelial barriers, particularly the skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tissues

· Supporting normal development of the embryonic and fetal tissues

· Promoting production of lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells before and during immune challenge

Reproduction and Animal Health are Specific Times of Need.

Vitamin A plays a crucial role in reproductive success and offspring health in both swine and cattle. In swine, enhanced maternal vitamin A intake improves conception rates, litter size, birth weights, and immune transfer via colostrum. In beef cattle, late-gestation vitamin A boosts neonatal calf immunity, while dairy cows with subclinical deficiencies show increased hoof disorders and reduced milk production. Some research has also indicated that injectable vitamins have been useful during key reproductive events, however producers should consider the extra labor and cost applied to each animal in these events.

Requirements and Supplementation Strategies

All livestock need vitamin A in their diet. Livestock that are able to graze are obtaining sufficient vitamin A through the forage, however during drought or animals on grain and hay diets need vitamin A supplementation. Further, during late gestation, lactation, or immune challenge, the vitamin A requirements increase. It is always recommended that you work with a nutritionist to meet your livestock’s nutritional needs, and the table provided is a tool to evaluate your current vitamin products and aid you in discussing nutritional needs with your support staff (sales person, veterinarian, or nutritionists).                        

Table 1. Vitamin A Requirements for Swine and Beef Cattle

Swine	Nursery (20lb./50lb)	Grow/Finish (50 lb. +)	Gestating Sows & Boars	Lactating Sows
Vitamin A, IU/lb	998/794#	590#	1814	907
Vitamin A, IU per day	600-1600	1600-3600	8400	12000
Beef Cattle	Growing Steers and Heifers*	Stressed Steers and Heifers*	Gestating Cows*	Lactating Cows*
Vitamin A, IU/lb. of feed DM	1000	2250	1300	1800
Vitamin A, IU per day	12500	15000	34000	54000

^#Requirements of nutrients for pigs change rapidly during growth, and levels will adjust with feed intake.  Swine information from Nutrient Requirements of Swine, NRC 2012, and represents the minimum values for pigs based on stage of production.

*Daily requirements are calculated based on 500-pound growing or stressed calves and 1,200-pound cows. Data table obtained from Oklahoma State University, https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/supplementing-vitamin-a-to-beef-cattle.html#:~:text=Where%20other%20nutrient 

Practical Recommendations to Support Your Livestock

Vitamin A remains a cornerstone of reproductive success and immune competence in both cattle and swine.     Dietary strategies are the most crucial step to meet routine needs. Further, ensuring your livestock have their basic needs met can help you better identify reproductive or stressed stock who may need a boost from time to time. Again, it is always recommended that you work with your support staff to meet your livestock’s nutritional needs, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

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 Spencer Ag Center products that support Vitamin A

All Spencer Ag Center feed products support the necessary vitamin and mineral requirements. Here are some products that are great for Vitamin A specifically!

Beef

• Platinum Mineral line

• Calving & Breeding Mineral Line

• Brood Cow Blocks

• Ignite Mineral Tubs

Swine

• Swine VTM

• Terminal Base

• Starter Products

• Charger Products

• Supreme Sow

• Sow Pro Plus

• DDG SW 30 G/F Phytase

Sheep & Goat

• Sheep Mineral 2-1

• Top Lamb Finisher

• Goat Finisher

Horse

• Low K—Keeper

Ask your local sales representative for more recommendations on what product will work best for your herd!

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 Biosecurity made Convenient!

Recently, Spencer Ag Center has added MS Schipper’s Hy Care line to our repertoire!

The Hy Care Line includes MS Gold's Top Foam Cleaner and Megades Disinfectant. Both of these concentrated products come in a bag that connects with the Hy Bag Foam Gun. No need for premixing products! This gun attaches directly to the power washing line, allowing the user to adjust their concentration on the spot!

What do they do?  The MS Gold Topfoam is an alkaline foaming cleanser that breaks down and cleanses tough organic contaminants, such as manure, feed, and skin fat—which removes water, mineral, and fat buildup in barns. With superior adhesion, it has a contact time of up to 60 minutes, allowing for excellent breakdown of organic biofilms. After breaking down the biofilm barrier, eliminating bacteria is the next step. Megades Disinfectant provides a broad range of coverage against bacteria, yeast, and viruses to protect your herd against pathogens. Both products come with bags and gun attachments for easy change between the two processes.

Talk to your sales rep to learn more! Be sure to check it out!