Joe Derrick (left) plans his fall and winter Beef Block needs with Greg Hite (center), Southern States store assistant manager, and Jackie Cutter, field sales and technical representative.

Winter Treat For Cattle

For the second straight year summer weather was less than ideal for South Carolina farmer Joe Derrick’s hay crop.

“Early drought was followed by excessive late-summer rains,” Derrick notes. The result was hay that’s a little tough and a little short of maximum nutritional value.

That means his 155-cow beef herd will need an extra nutritional boost for this fall, as well as the winter and spring months to come. He gets that boost from Beef Blocks purchased from his local Southern States store in Johnston.

It is the same store Joe and his 87-year-old father, Kester, have gotten supplies from for decades. Continuity of service and staff (one employee, Eleanor Burke, has been there 31 years) have kept the Derricks as regular customers, notes Greg Hite, store assistant manager.

“We went with the Beef Blocks in order to keep our cattle in top condition, especially around calving time in late winter,” explains Derrick.

Southern States Beef Blocks are molasses based and contain 24% protein and 3% fat. MaxiBlock contains 25% protein and 5% fat and the All Natural Blocks contain 20% protein.

The blocks come in a 125 and 200-pound plastic tub.

Following label recommendations, he puts about three blocks in each 25- to 30-cow pasture. The cattle consume about 11⁄2 to 2 pounds of the nutrition supplement daily

“These blocks are a perfect supplement for beef cows when winter pastures or hay don’t provide adequate nutrition,” says Jackie Cutter, the co-op’s area nutrition and feed specialist.

Cutter helps customers assess the precise nutritional value of their hay by getting hay samples tested when that service is needed. “We work to meet every customer’s feed and nutrition needs,” he says.

Derrick figures the Beef Blocks he puts out each fall cost about 25 cents per day per cow. “That’s a reasonable price to provide cows with the nutrition needed to stay healthy and in good condition for calving,” he says.

Christopher, Derrick’s 18-year-old son, is in line to be the fourth generation to carry on the family’s farm. When he does, there’s little doubt he’ll be able to get the same kind of Southern States service his dad and granddad have received for decades.