Vitamin A for Beef Cattle
Bethany Johnston, Livestock Extension Educator
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08/20/2025
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Vitamin A is an important nutrient for beef cattle. The best source of this vitamin is beta-carotene, a pigment in green plants that animals convert into vitamin A. We may use the terms “beta carotene” and “vitamin A” interchangeably.
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- [00:00:00.860]Welcome to the Extension Minute, brought to you by Bethany Johnston,
- [00:00:04.720]livestock educator for Nebraska Extension,
- [00:00:08.094]where we bring university research directly to you, on your farm and ranch.
- [00:00:13.834]Where can you go to find beef and grazing research?
- [00:00:17.054]Visit the Beef.UNL.EDU website.
- [00:00:21.933]While you are there, read through the most recent BeefWatch articles
- [00:00:25.933]- these are timely articles that come out beginning of each month.
- [00:00:30.500]You can also tune into the Beef Podcasts, while you are there.
- [00:00:35.200]Vitamin A is an important nutrient for beef cattle.
- [00:00:38.800]The best source of this vitamin is beta-carotene,
- [00:00:43.020]a pigment in green plants that animals convert into vitamin A.
- [00:00:47.300]We may use the terms “beta carotene” and “vitamin A” interchangeably.
- [00:00:52.240]While grazing green grass, cattle get plenty of vitamin A.
- [00:00:56.760]But during the winter, vitamin A may be deficient and should be supplemented.
- [00:01:01.860]So why are we talking about Vitamin A when the grass is green and lush?
- [00:01:05.840]Right now cattle are grazing green grass and getting plenty of vitamin A.
- [00:01:11.100]But once we start feeding hay,
- [00:01:13.020]cows may not receive as much vitamin A as they need.
- [00:01:17.020]And vitamin A plays a critical role in young calf health.
- [00:01:22.300]But baby calves are born with an extremely limited vitamin A storage,
- [00:01:27.960]because very little transfers from the mother into the fetus.
- [00:01:31.900]Newly born calves rely heavily on colostrum for their supply of vitamin A.
- [00:01:39.040]So if we want our baby calves to get adequate vitamin A,
- [00:01:43.040]we need to feed hay that is high in vitamin A, or supplement vitamin A,
- [00:01:49.220]to our cows when they are in their last trimester of pregnancy.
- [00:01:53.300]This allows that there is plenty of vitamin A in that
- [00:01:57.920]first milk, or colostrum, for that baby calf.
- [00:02:02.380]As many of you are trying to finish up haying,
- [00:02:05.760]how the hay is put up or stored will impact the vitamin A content.
- [00:02:11.200]The color of the hay can also be a clue.
- [00:02:14.980]Usually the greener the hay, the more beta-carotene,
- [00:02:19.000]or more vitamin A in that hay.
- [00:02:22.200]Bleached or weathered hay has less.
- [00:02:25.100]Ultraviolet light from the sun destroys vitamin A,
- [00:02:29.100]and heat and humidity can increase the rate at which it break down.
- [00:02:33.800]There is virtually no vitamin A on the outside of a bale where it is
- [00:02:37.800]brown and sun-bleached, but inside the forage may be
- [00:02:41.800]green and preserved with plenty of beta-carotene.
- [00:02:45.540]While color isn’t a perfect measure, this can give you a quick indication.
- [00:02:50.260]To make this more useful, Nebraska Extension has developed a set
- [00:02:54.260]of hay samples with known vitamin A content, so you can visually
- [00:02:57.761]compare the color of your hay to the color of these samples.
- [00:03:02.820]Now is a great time to sample hay.
- [00:03:05.300]If you want to get a better idea of the vitamin A in your hay,
- [00:03:08.860]bring a sample to the Husker Harvest Days
- [00:03:11.760]and compare it to the UNL color samples.
- [00:03:15.040]Husker Harvest Days is held near Grand Island
- [00:03:18.000]on September 9th through the 11th.
- [00:03:20.540]We are at Lot 827 - here look for the
- [00:03:24.540]Livestock booth inside the Big Red Building.
- [00:03:28.700]Nebraska Extension is working to develop a tool that would
- [00:03:32.700]allow you to take a picture of your hay and get an estimate
- [00:03:36.520]of the vitamin A content, but we need more samples.
- [00:03:40.380]So feel free to bring a sample of your hay
- [00:03:43.180]and we will add it to our research analysis.
- [00:03:45.920]Again, cows in late pregnancy need vitamin A,
- [00:03:49.540]so it will transfer into the colostrum, and
- [00:03:52.300]the baby calf can fill up on their vitamin A.
- [00:03:56.620]If your hay doesn’t have enough, a nutritionist can
- [00:03:59.440]add vitamin A to something like cake or a mineral mix.
- [00:04:03.458]We look forward to seeing you at Husker Harvest Days,
- [00:04:06.920]and don't forget to bring a sample of your hay with you!
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