Weaning Nutrition: The Key to Profiting in a Historic Cattle Market

Cattle markets are at historic highs. For ranchers, this is the kind of opportunity that doesn’t come around often. Every pound of gain, every calf that stays healthy, and every efficiency improvement translates directly into more dollars in your pocket.

But there’s one major roadblock: weaning stress.

Weaning is often the most challenging event in a calf’s life. Between separation from the cow, dietary changes, and immune challenges, calves can lose performance fast if nutrition isn’t supporting them. That’s where Agribest Feeds comes in—with proven products like SweetPro, Redmond, and our new RumenEdge technology to help calves transition smoothly, stay on feed, and keep gaining.

Weaning Hack: Start Now Through the Cow

The best way to reduce weaning stress is to start before weaning ever happens.

We recommend feeding SweetPro or Rumen Edge tubs to cow/calf pairs at least 2–4 weeks prior to weaning (hardness matched to the cows’ desired consumption). This simple strategy provides powerful advantages:

• Supports the cow’s nutritional needs as grass hardens up and calves pull down on them

• Improves milk quality and quantity, giving calves better nutrition right up to weaning

• Teaches calves to lick on the tubs early, so they pick up valuable nutrients as they grow

• Fetal Programming for the Calf in Gestation (getting a jump on next year!)

By the time weaning day arrives, calves already recognize the supplement. They transition faster, eat more consistently, and maintain performance during what is usually the most stressful event in their young lives.

Why Weaning Stress Hurts Your Bottom Line

When calves are weaned, they face three major stressors:

• Nutritional stress: Intake often drops, meaning calves eat less just when they need more.

• Immune stress: The energy gap weakens the immune system, making calves more vulnerable to sickness.

• Behavioral stress: Separation and new environments cause anxiety, pacing, and less time at the feed bunk or water trough.

The results? Slower gains, shrink, or even setbacks that calves may not fully recover from. And in today’s strong cattle market, that lost performance comes at a high cost.

The Value of Pounds at Weaning

Let’s put the numbers in perspective:

• A 20 lb. difference at weaning, in today’s market at $3.00 per lb., equals $60 per calf.

• On a 100-head calf crop, that’s $6,000 left on the table.

• Over several years, the cumulative impact is enormous.

The right nutrition can be the difference between calves that stall out at weaning and calves that continue to gain efficiently.

Nutrition Solutions from Agribest Feeds

At Agribest Feeds, we provide products designed to address all three weaning stressors by supporting the rumen, immune system, and overall performance.

✅ SweetPro Cattle Kandi Stress Tubs SweetPro’s unique fermented distillers grain formula provides protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals while improving rumen microbial efficiency. Calves stay on feed and digest forage better, meaning less shrink and more gain during the transition.

✅ Redmond Natural Minerals Redmond products deliver over 60 naturally occurring trace minerals, plus essential electrolytes. They help calves maintain hydration, strengthen immunity, and recover faster from stress—keeping calves healthy and ready to perform.

✅ NEW! RumenEdge Technology RumenEdge is our latest innovation in rumen efficiency. By optimizing microbial action, calves extract more energy from every bite of forage. The result is improved feed conversion, faster weight gain, and healthier calves right out of weaning.

Wean to Win: From “Pacifier” to Performance

Here’s the second half of the Weaning Hack: After starting calves on SweetPro or Rumen Edge tubs through the cow, transition them to Cattle Kandi Stress tubs or RumenEdge Soft tubs at weaning.

• Calves go right to the tubs—almost like a pacifier, reducing weaning stress

• They stay on feed instead of going off and losing condition

• Performance doesn’t just hold—it continues to grow through weaning

  
  

Rancher-Proven Results

Producers using SweetPro and Redmond in their weaning programs report:

• Weaning stress cut in half

• Calves stay on feed from day one

• Healthier calves with fewer sickness pulls

• Heavier weights at sale time

• Improved efficiency in feed-to-gain

And with RumenEdge technology now added to the mix, ranchers have an even sharper tool to maximize returns.

Nutrition Today = Profit Tomorrow

With cattle prices at historic highs, now is the time to invest in your calves’ nutrition. The difference of even 20 pounds at weaning can mean thousands of dollars in added returns. By starting calves on SweetPro, Redmond, and RumenEdge, you’re not just feeding them—you’re fueling their performance, protecting their health, and maximizing your profitability.

Capitalize on this historic market. Contact Agribest Feeds today to learn how our weaning nutrition program can help you keep calves gaining and dollars growing.