Spring Happenings at CPM

Spring time finds all of us working more outside and enjoying the weather, and here are some spring happenings at CPM. Everyone on our team at CPM is busy manufacturing for spring calving season with the anticipation of summer pasture and beef creep season. CPM is enthusiastic about our producers. We manufacture and advise for large livestock operations and for small livestock operations. 

Russ Vering, Managing Partner/Large Account Sales/Owner, talks about Spring Happenings at CPM.
Russ Vering, Managing Partner/Large Account Sales/Owner at CPM

Let’s talk about small operations

Whether you are raising chickens in your back yard or feeding out your own pork or beef, CPM has solutions for your feed needs. Our philosophy is to keep nutrition simple and locally produced. All of our Poultry, Swine, Goat, Sheep, and Beef feeds are made in Nebraska with Nebraska ingredients. We take the time to evaluate each ingredient that goes into your feed ensuring that it is safe for your livestock and nutritionally required. Our company does not believe in fluff or fillers. All of our decisions are research driven and good for the longevity of your herd or flock. Fluff or buzz words are constantly used to sell feed. CPM engages with the best technology in the nutrition business to bring you the best results. You will not see buzz words on our tag unless they actually create a benefit for your herd or flock. 

It’s Also Show Season

Spring also means show season and we are amping up for a doozy this year. CPM is continuously engaged with county fair projects and sponsoring youth show events. From Iowa to Montana CPM supports youth agriculture shows. We believe that the future of agriculture starts with a show project supported by family and youth clubs. Our team believes in agriculture and the resilience of farmers small and large where you can do business with a handshake and trust us to do our part.

We appreciate your business and look forward to partnering on more projects with you in the future!

Are You Creep Feeding?

ARE YOU CREEP-FEEDING?

Carly Steffensmeier, Livestock Advisor talks more about the benefits in the article below.

Looking to increase the weaning weight on your calves? Searching for ways to improve your bottom line? Creep-feeding calves is a great solution and one that is almost always a return on investment. Let’s take a look at why you should utilize creep feed, its benefits, and what options Central Plains Milling has for your calves.

In a cow/calf operation, gross income is partially going to depend on the weaning weight of calves. Typically, a lactating cow can supply about 50% of the nutrients that a calf needs to maximize its growth potential. Grass and creep feed is able to supply the other 50% that the calf is needing. Calves that are supplemented properly can convert on average 4 pounds of feed to 1 pound of gain. Creep feeding for approximately 100 days should add around 60-plus pounds of weaning weight. More pounds on a calf to sell equals an increase in revenue.

In addition to increased weaning weights, creep feed has many other benefits. Supplementing creep feed to calves can help relieve pressure on the cow’s milk production. Relieving some pressure off the cow can also make an impact on its overall body condition. When it comes time to wean, your calves will be used to coming to feed and typically transition to a feed bunk easier. This in turn will make the weaning process less stressful on your calves.

Central Plains Milling provides quality creep feeds that are superior to most on the market. We have two different forms of creep available: pelleted or meal. Our pelleted creep is called “CPM Calf Creep” and our meal creep is called “CPM 4000 Creep”. CPM Calf Creep (pelleted) is 14% protein and is formulated with Bovatec with the option of adding CTC if needed. CPM 4000 Creep (meal) is a 16% protein that utilizes the power of dried distillers grains and has options to have Rumensin, Bovatec, or CTC added. Both creep feeds have Availa-4 and Diamond V XPC in them. We utilize Availa-4 in our creep to help decrease the effects of stress, strengthen immune systems, and increase average daily gain in your calves. Diamond V helps support digestive tissue and promotes a healthy microbial balance for calf immunity and overall health. If you are interested in maximizing your calf’s potential on creep, contact our Livestock Feed Advisors today!

Contact Us

HELPING TO SOLVE CHALLENGES.

Janessa Smola, Livestock Advisor talks about working with her clients to help solve some of the challenges they are up against.

Click the image to watch!

Click the image to watch!

MEET SHAWN.

Meet Shawn! He’s weighing micro ingredients at our Columbus facility.

Do you have questions about what you are feeding or the best approach? Contact us today and one of our Livestock Feed Advisors would be happy to answer any questions you might have!

SHOW SEASON.

Show season is upon us! Are you ready? We’ve got the products you need to get your animals in tip-top condition. To learn more about our options, please visit our website page specifically dedicated to our Show Products.

Show Products & Services

Weaning Show Pigs

Here are some important tips that will enhance growth and muscle development of your weaning show pigs. The Lindner system of starters has been designed to maximize growth and development of your show pig. 

Lindner starters 600-603-606-612 and 648 are designed specifically for the exact stage of digestive development for your pig. Keep in mind that all simple stomach animals like pigs require specific types of feeds early on in development. Initially your show pig while on the sow will be highly efficient at digesting milk proteins and fats. Milk proteins are simple and highly digestible for newly farrowed show pigs. You can see in the chart below that Lactase enzymes decreases with time while Amylase and Protease increase. This is an important transition for a young pig, moving from sows’ milk to dry feed (more complex proteins and fats). Lindner feeds are positioned to match this transition in digestive enzymes for your pig’s stomach ensuring an easy transition to dry feed while maximizing the performance of your show pig.

Weaning Show Pigs through Lindner System of Starters
Source: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/swine/facts

Weaning Show Pigs Recommendations

Preweaning and weaning– feed Lindner 600 Neo Starter. Lindner 600 creates the proper transition to dry feed. Best if creep fed several days before weaning. 

Post weaning Transition –move your pig to Lindner 603. 603 will ensure that stomach enzymes are matched to maximize digestibility and gut health of your show pig.

Next step is 606 Blitz or 612 Starter –Once your pig hits 5 to 6 weeks and daily feed intake is aggressive transition your pig to 606 Blitz for sale bloom, or 612 Starter for pigs you are retaining to show or sell later. 

Questions?

  1. Can I skip steps in this feeding program?
    • Skipping diets early on in a pig’s life will delay his development later and can even cause significant health complications. 600 and 603 are essential to proper development of the pigs lean gain growth curve. Shorting your pig at the early stage can reduce the guts’ ability to absorb nutrients resulting in permanent damage of your pig performance.
  2. Transitioning challenged pigs good or bad?
    • Transitioning pigs is very important. Healthy pigs transition easily while challenged pigs struggle with changes in diet. Make sure that when you transition to your next diet pigs are eating aggressively and are active.
  3. What diet do you recommend for receiving 40–50-pound pigs?
    • 648 is a great transition diet. High protein and the correct balance of amino acids. Palatability of this diet is excellent getting pigs transitioned and started aggressively in a new environment with new stresses. 
  4. What is the economic and physical cost of cutting out starter diets?
    • A good rule of thumb is 5 pounds of lost gain in the nursery phase of a pigs life becomes 25 pounds of lost gain at market. Pigs are much more efficient at building muscle early in the phases of their life. As pigs mature the conversion of actual lean and muscle is much less efficient.

Welcome to our first newsletter!

Welcome.

We want to welcome you to our first monthly email! Each month we will share community stories, and tips, answer frequently asked questions, industry news, and information about new products and updates.

We promise not to abuse your inbox! You can unsubscribe from this communication at any time at the bottom of the email, simply by clicking the Unsubscribe link provided each time.

Congratulations.

We want to congratulate our long-time customer, Terry Wegner for his recent induction into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame!

We have some recent award winners on our CPM Team! Congratulations to you all and the hard work and dedication you have provided. Our brand is great because of all of you.

Ruth had let her manager know that she was going to be home with a sick family member, but when another member of the Mill Team called in sick, putting the Mill short on people, she made other arrangements and headed to work. She really showed support for her manager and her team and it was very much appreciated by everyone! Thank you, Ruth, for supporting the CPM/Frontier family!

There is not a single Frontier/CPM Core Value that Crystal has not blown out of the water over the past several months. We had a member of our team out on Maternity Leave and during that time Crystal went back and forth between locations helping in any capacity that she was needed. Within that time, she also spent time training a new employee on all of the inner workings of both locations.

We then had a team member working remotely for several weeks due to surgery and during that time, Crystal single-handedly ran the Howells location, not only performing all of her duties at the Feed Order Desk but also physically helping with the Financial Office duties. She came in early and stayed late, putting in a lot of time and effort without complaint. If she wasn’t there with her amazing can-do attitude, along with her tenacity and drive for success, coupled with her phenomenal skill set for time management, detail orientation, problem-solving, and customer service, we would not have made it through this. Crystal, THANK YOU for all you do for us every day in every single Core Value that we have! We appreciate you so very much!

Brandon was nominated for his dedication! He is never afraid to jump in and help out and is extremely reliable. We always know he’s going to get the job done! Brandon is willing to come in on a day off to help out a customer and has even dropped everything on Christmas Eve to take a load to a customer that was out of feed. It took him away from his family for multiple hours but he did what needed to be done. Brandon, you are a valuable member of our team and we appreciate you very much!

Congratulations to Carly who recently received the Frontier “Above and Beyond” award! The Above and Beyond award is presented quarterly to team members that live our core values. Carly has been with CPM for 5 years and has continued to grow her community of producers by creating the best experience for her clients. Congratulations Carly! You deserve it and we are so glad you are on our team!

Career Opportunity.

We have a position open for a Nutrition Advisor on the Frontier Coop Team! Is this you for someone you know? Please apply today or pass along this information. We’d love to have a conversation with you!

Apply Today

Cow/Calf Confinement.

With the current price of land and the decreasing availability of pastures, cow-calf producers are starting to look for other options. The traditional rotational grazing of stocks and pastures isn’t as profitable as it once was; since it requires a high capital in order to make it work. Not only is there a 6.3% decrease in grazable acres, but the prices of land and the market risk make it unsuitable for some producers today. The U.S. cow herds must continue to grow in the industry if it is going to preserve and regain lost market share. One way producers can do this is through a confined or semi-confined system.

Moving cows into confinement can increase efficiency, reduce land requirements, and improve herd management. With a confinement system, the producer will be able to change the feeding program to suit the nutritional and energy needs of the cow at different stages: breeding, lactating, or…

Read More

Central Plains Milling Creep Feeds

Looking to increase weaning weight on your calves? Searching for ways to improve your bottom line? Creep feeding calves is a great solution and one that is almost always a return on investment. Let’s take a look at why you should utilize creep feeds, its benefits, and what creep feed options Central Plains Milling has for your calves.

Maximizing the Calves’ Growth Potential

In a cow/calf operation, gross income is partially going to depend on the weaning weight of calves. Typically, a lactating cow can supply about 50% of the nutrients that a calf needs to maximize its growth potential. Grass and creep feed are able to supply that other 50% that the calf is needing. Calves that are supplemented properly can convert on average 4 pounds of feed to 1 pound of gain. Creep feeding for approximately 100 days should add around 60 plus pounds of weaning weight. More pounds on a calf to sell equals an increase in revenue.

Relieve Pressure on the Cow’s Milk Production

In addition to increased weaning weights, creep feed has many other benefits. Supplementing creep feed to calves can help relieve pressure on the cow’s milk production. Relieving some pressure off the cow can also make an impact on their overall body condition. When it comes time to wean, your calves will be used to coming to feed and typically transition to a feed bunk easier. This in turn will make the weaning process less stressful on your calves.

Central Plains Milling Creep Feeds

Central Plains Milling provides quality creep feeds that are superior to most on the market. We have two different forms of creep available: pelleted or meal. Our pelleted creep is called “CPM Calf Creep” and our meal creep is called “CPM 4000 Creep”. CPM Calf Creep (pelleted) is 14% protein and is formulated with Bovatec with the option of adding CTC if needed. CPM 4000 Creep (meal) is a 16% protein that utilizes the power of dried distillers grains and has options to have Rumensin, Bovatec or CTC added. Both creep feeds have Availa-4 and Diamond V XPC in them. We utilize Availa-4 in our creep to help decrease the effects of stress, strengthen immune systems, and increase average daily gain in your calves. Diamond V helps support digestive tissue and promotes a healthy microbial balance for calf immunity and overall health. If you are interested in maximizing your calves potential on creep, contact one of our Livestock Feed Advisors!

Carly Steffensmeier, Livestock Feed Advisor

A Message from Travis Walters

Hello my name is Travis Walters, I’m the Livestock Advisor for Southeast Nebraska at Frontier Cooperative. With cattle show season gearing up in our area I would like to talk to you about our CPM Show Calf Creep w/ Precon. Not only my kids have had great success with it but a handful of other people as well. 

CPM Show Calf Creep w/ Precon is designed to be moderate energy level with a high fiber content to promote steady growth, rib development and soundness. Giving your animals that full look and dropped flank that every judge is looking for. This product can be limit feed or used in a complete ration. With the amount of protein and fiber in this feed your animals need very little other supplements to help them stay looking full. CPM Show Calf Creep w/ Precon also comes with Rumensin as a part of the feed. Rumensin improves feed efficiency by 4 percent by providing more energy from the ration through increased glucose supply. 

It’s not a surprise when bringing home new show calves to have issues with intake while transitioning them to your feed. However, the reviews of the CPM Show Calf Creep with Precon during the transition period has been said to be an easy transition for the calves, and they don’t miss a beat. By making the transition smoother it decreases the amount of stress on the calf and keeps them in a forward motion on their intake towards the end goal, that purple banner at the end of the show.  

As a livestock consultant, It’s a feel- good moment going to shows and seeing families using the products that you’ve supplied them. And it makes it that much better yet when those families win. 

Sincerely,

Travis Walters

CPM Momentum Line of Feed: An Introduction

CPM Momentum Line of Feed

Are you looking for an option to wean/start, grow or finish a set of calves but don’t want to have to start up the tractor and feedwagon and the tractor or skid loader to load the feed? You also would like to save on some hay and not have to feed as much or any while starting or feeding out a set of cattle?? We have a couple self fed options available that are fed through a self feeder, to you as a producer and cattle feeder, but we want to bring to light and inform you here of a product that we have, called CPM Momentum. The CPM Momentum line of feeds is formulated to be fed through a self feeder in a pasture or pen setting.

The CPM Momentum line of feeds is very unique to the industry in that the ingredients, which include rolled corn, DDG’s, a vitamin and trace mineral pack, and a one of a kind forage pellet as well allow for a unique and game changing option for self feeding. Each step in the CPM Momentum step up program also has the option of Bovatec to be added to the formula, which is an ionophore that helps the cattle consuming this feed be more efficient in converting feed to red meat and muscle.

CPM Momentum Starter 

The CPM Momentum line consists of a step up program consisting of the CPM Momentum Starter, CPM Momentum Grower, and CPM Momentum Finisher as well as the transition steps in between each if the producer and our nutrition advisor so decides that they would be a good fit. Whether you are wanting to feed out a set of calves, put some weight on some bred heifers or feed out some cull cows this program will work for you. Did we mention that throughout each stage of the CPM Momentum feeding program you will be able to save on hay as you do NOT need to feed hay along with the Momentum? You ask how this can be safe to be fed in a self fed situation with both rolled corn and DDG’s in the formula? The unique forage pellet that is included in each step provides enough scratch to the rumen as well as enough fiber to keep the gut working and also keeps the manure consistent. The amount of the forage pellet is decreased as we move past the starter to the grower and finisher phases allowing for a higher fat, lower protein and lower fiber formula to more efficiently grow and finish cattle.

The CPM Momentum line of feeds:

CPM Momentum Starter 13% Protein 4% Fat 16% Fiber

CPM Momentum Grower 13% Protein 5.5% Fat 16% Fiber

CPM Momentum Finisher 12% Protein 5.5% Fat 9% Fiber

The CPM Momentum line has been successfully fed in numerous situations over the years. Depending on your goals and your needs, our highly trained nutrition advisors will help recommend the best step for you and your cattle to start with as well as partnering with you as a producer to successfully and efficiently grow and finish cattle. Contact any of our nutrition team members or the Columbus or Howells feed mills for more info.

Goat 365: Product Spotlight

Once the US boarders were closed because of Covid, the US noticed the need to increase the goat industry to reduce the amount of imported goat products. CPM noticed this increase and the need for high quality, affordable feed for goat producers. From show feeds to commercial meat production, CPM has plenty of options for producers. Let’s take a look into our CPM Goat 365!

The CPM Goat 365 was originally designed to be high quality and affordable for breeding does. Once it was being fed, we found it to be an extremely versatile feed. It may only have a 2 pound feed rate but it packs a punch with the nutrients it delivers.

CPM Goat 365 provides Zinpro’s Availa 4, a chelated trace mineral pack, which is used to promote multiple aspects. The main areas in does that are most impactful for production are their reproduction system, skin and hoof health, and milk production. Availa 4 improves those aspects! It also promotes growth and muscle development, fiber digestion, and energy metabolism; which are all important in any stage of production! When the diet is balanced with trace minerals, animals are able to cope with stress with more ease.

Not only does CPM Goat 365 provide Availa 4 but it also provides Diamond V XPC! Diamond V XPC is a yeast culture that promotes gut health. With a healthier gut, the body becomes more efficient which leads to higher milking yields, heavier weaning weights, and increased feed conversion; which leads to improved weight gains in the end. With a healthier gut the immune system is stronger making it easier to cope with stress. 

CPM Goat 365 is available with or without Rumensin® depending on your operation. Rumensin® is a great additive and is highly recommended to aid in the prevention of Coccidiosis. It will not prevent it but it will help decrease the amount of shedding that occurs. By decreasing the amount of shedding, you reduce the amount of bacteria the animals are exposed to which reduces their risk. 

The CPM Goat 365 fits into many situations. No matter what your operation entails CPM can help you find the feed for the job! If you are looking for more information on goat feed, reach out to CPM today!

Janessa Smola

Nutritionist/ Livestock Advisor

Fears of Uncertainty Not Reality with VFD Rules

The new Veterinary Feed Directive requirement has been in effect for livestock producers since Jan. 1. Producers across the country need a written VFD in place to get certain medications for their animals. So far, things seem to be going reasonably well despite the uncertainty that typically surrounds new requirements.

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