SweetPro Cattle Video Testimonies

...unlike pouring cubes to the herd every other day (sometimes searching for a dry place), they only need to be placed out every 10 days with the knowledge that every cow will get to the tubs in turn. 

The Stalwart Ranch Story

Fall 2004 • Stalwart Ranch in Willis, Texas is one of the leading breeder’s of registered Brangus cattle in the United States.  Brangus is an outstanding breed adapting to climates from Wyoming to South Texas.  Stalwart Ranch runs a herd of 500 mother cows and sells about 150 bulls a year.  They aim to bring in calves with strong frames and weaning weights of over 550 lbs.

 Late in the summer of 2003, the Stalwart Ranch switched from using a loose mineral, range cubes and liquid supplements to using the SweetPro Premium Feeds line of cattle supplement blocks.  After an initial July test to find the proper consumption ratios for their East Texas spread, all of the cattle were put exclusively on SweetPro blocks.  Bill Cawley, who also serves as the director of the Texas Brangus Breeders Association, is the cattle manager for Stalwart Ranch.  He has 25 years of experience breeding Brangus cattle and aims to make Stalwart’s herd the most respected in the country.  He and his assistant manager, Scott Purswell, tell us that they had been using 3 times the amount of mineral (plus range cake and liquid feed) in their previous supplement program that they now use with SweetPro blocks.  But now both aggressive and timid cattle can get to the feed in turn and there is no wastage from overeating liquid or stomping cubes in the mud.  The cattle’s intake of SweetPro supplement blocks is right where it needs to be.  As a result, Stalwart Ranch boasts a very healthy herd that is breeding properly and has no copper deficiencies or problems with foot rot, despite around 70 inches of rain in the winter.   

SweetPro blocks feature fermentation feed ingredients, rich in yeasts, enzymes and Volatile Organic Acids to improve digestion and feed efficiencies up to 25% or more.  SweetPro’s Condensed Distillers Solubles have similar palatability benefits to molasses but far higher protein and 10 times the fat.  The energy in the blocks comes from Complex Carbohydrates rather than simple sugars and does not disrupt digestion like starch and sugar can.  SweetPro blocks also contain Vitamins A, D and E along with a balanced blend of Organic Complexed Trace Minerals. 

SweetPro’s proprietary blend additive, ProBiotein, is added to the blocks to maximize feed utilization and minimize health problems.  ProBiotein consists of yeast cultured on a media of wheat, barley, oats and flax.  It also contains prebiotic oligosaccharides, beneficial probiotic bacteria plus amylolytic, fibrinolytic and proteolytic enzymes. 

Bill Cawley says that there are a number of things that impress him about SweetPro blocks.  For one thing, the cattle will move the tubs and not continually stomp a hole in the ground around a set feeder.  This helps save the pasture (and the truck).  He also likes the minimum of clean up required when the cattle are finished feeding and appreciates that unlike molasses products, the SweetPro blocks don’t deteriorate in rain or hold water.   

In their area of East Texas, Stalwart Ranch has found after some testing, that for most of the year, the SweetPro FiberMate 18 lick block regulates the Brangus herd’s intake best.  They also noticed that, as grass improves, consumption drops, so Bill and Scott will put out a softer SweetPro 16-24 block to keep them eating properly and their blood levels up.  After eating on a 16-24 block for a time, they will go back to the FiberMate 18 and stay on the harder block. 

Bill and Scott also tell us that Stalwart’s first calf heifers did better this year than they have ever done.  Despite losing their teeth, they and their calves came through healthy using only the SweetPro blocks and hay.  For these heifers a softer Sweet Pro 16-24 worked best, as the FiberMate 18 was too hard.   

Another great feature of the SweetPro blocks is that unlike pouring cubes to the herd every other day (sometimes searching for a dry place), they only need to be placed out every 10 days with the knowledge that every cow will get to the tubs in turn.  They simply dump them off the trailer or truck bed and their job is done.  For the Stalwart Ranch, SweetPro lick blocks have taken care of a multitude of problems.  Not only has it been easier to manage their feeding program but when looking at the final tally book before and after using SweetPro, they’ve seen a large savings in the cost of feeding.  And that’s what it’s all about!

 © 2000 Stalwart Ranch
Mike Manners, Ranch Office
211 Highland Cross Drive Suite 101 • Houston, Texas 77073
281.821.5556 • Fax 281.821.6522

Bill Cawley
Cattle Manager
(713) 875-7711

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