Traditionally, many producers elect not to creep feed their calves. There are several reasons for them to avoid it, but the two major issues are cost and the fact that creep-fed cattle sometimes grow too fleshy.

Nonetheless, each year, I write about the benefits of creep feeding. When grass quantity and quality are suppressed due to the season or land limits, creep feeding is a good system to boost calves' growth toward their natural genetic potential.

Creep feeding facilitates weaning by making the calf less dependent on its mother, plus it trains calves to eat. Bunk-broke calves have fewer problems after weaning.

Creep-fed heifers will cycle sooner and have better conception rates

There's a litany of reasons in favor of creep feeding, but I'm not going to weigh them against the drawbacks I've mentioned (cost and fleshy cattle). And that's simply because we have removed those negative obstacles from the creep feeding equation.

With TrendSetter SLR, MFA's new self-limiting feed ration, we now have a creep feeding program that reduces your costs and keeps cattle from getting too fleshy at the same time. The program is a new concept in feed: We have developed a feed that will limit creep feed intake by keeping cattle from eating too much at one time.

Producers have several options. Calves can be fed Cattle Charge with Bovatec through weaning. Depending on size/frame/genetics, this program can work very well in putting added weight gains on cost effectively. Or, our new option is to feed Cattle Charge until calves are eating 4 to 5 lbs. per head per day. If producers believe calves are eating too much at that point, the feeding program changes to MFA Trendsetter SLR. There are a couple of ways to go about the second part of the plan.

Trendsetter SLR fed alone will keep intake at about 1 percent of body weight per day. Weight gains will be obtained in accordance with this level of consumption. Another option is to mix TrendSetter SLR with commodity feed grains. A 50/50 mix will result in a daily feed intake of about 2 percent of body weight per day.

We've found TrendSetter SLR to be a stable product inside of creep feeders, negating some of the feeder maintenance issues that concern beef producers.

You can see that the ideal program depends on your cattle's growth genetics and your individual goals for creep feeding. Using Cattle Charge initially, followed by TrendSetter SLR in the later stages of creep feeding, offers the benefits of developing cattle to their best potential without the traditional concerns of becoming too fleshy and the extra expenses of creep feeding. Using Cattle Charge initially, followed by TrendSetter SLR in later stages of creep feeding provides you with an extra option.

It offers the benefits of developing cattle to their best potential without the traditional concerns of becoming too fleshy and the extra expenses of creep feeding.

The added flexibility lets you adjust your feeding program to fit your goals for season ending-weights of your calves.