Essential oils are critical component of cattle feed

Essential oils, like eucalyptus, ginger and oregano, are well-known in the human natural health arena. Historically, they have also been used in eastern and European animal care for centuries. Today, they have become a key component of the North American animal feed supplement market. Here’s how it became an important choice for suppliers and producers.

Why the movement to essential oils in feed?

The rise in essential oil use, particularly for cattle, is directly related to the removal or banning of antibiotic growth promoters. It is also due to feed developers leading the move for more natural ingredients in their products.

As research grew around the globe, the options for suppliers to opt for more natural supplements also grew, creating a win-win for product creators, producers, livestock and, ultimately, consumers.

Research into healthy alternatives produced positive findings. As feed suppliers sought out healthy substitutes for antibiotic growth products, natural components like essential oils became a top replacement solution. The move to the healthy, natural alternative of infusing essential oils was embraced by Vitalix, particularly for its commercial cow mineral Blue Tub supplements.

What research supports essential oils in feeds?

In 2009, European researchers found that essential oils can reduce diseases (enteropathogenic) in a cow’s digestive tract and aid cattle in absorbing and utilizing nutrition in feeds. They also reported ruminants’ digestion improved, feed was more stable and palatable, and products had a greater shelf-life.

In 2016, researchers from Spain and Brazil published results that adding essential oils to beef cattle diets may boost animal production and meat quality.

Recent European analysis found that essential oils offered multiple benefits to animals, in growth, digestion, bacterial control and lipid oxidation. Combined, these have a substantial impact for producers.

Unique Process: We micro-infuse essential oils to create quality products. Blue Tubs contain heat-stable Vitamin A that protects and enhances rumen. Herd health is all about proper digestion, and our supplements help you see the improvements quickly.

Your advantage: Healthier herd, with a lower cost per head.

The Beef Cattle Research Council’s “Canadian Beef Research and Technology Transfer Strategy 2018-2023” says trends for meeting public health concerns and industry perceptions are driving feed producers to focus on natural alternatives. Although Canada has a strong reputation for healthy production practices, they want to see even more research, particularly to further quantify the benefits of options such as essential oils and vitamins for cattle.