Table: Dietary Mineral Requirements and Maximum Tolerable Amounts for Most Classes of Beef Cattle

Dietary Mineral Requirements and Maximum Tolerable Amounts for Most Classes of Beef Cattle

Mineral	Units^a	Requirement^b,c	Maximum Tolerable Amount^b
Calcium	%	0.40–1.00	Not established
Phosphorus	%	0.20–0.40	Not established
Magnesium	%	0.10–0.20	0.40
Potassium	%	0.60–0.70	2.00
Sulfur	%	0.15	0.30–0.50
Sodium	%	0.06–0.10	Not established
Copper	ppm or mg/kg	10	40
Zinc	ppm or mg/kg	30	500
Manganese	ppm or mg/kg	20–40	1,000
Selenium	ppm or mg/kg	0.10	5
Iron	ppm or mg/kg	50	500
Cobalt	ppm or mg/kg	0.15	25
Iodine	ppm or mg/kg	0.5	50
^aExpressed in terms of total dietary dry matter. ^bValues adapted from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. 8th rev. ed. National Academies Press; 216. ^cCalcium and phosphorus requirements are highly dependent on body weight, as well as stage and level of production. The values in this table represent ranges that are expected to meet the calcium and phosphorus requirements of most beef cattle under most production scenarios. The requirements of young, rapidly growing calves (< 500 pounds [< 227 kg]) are greater than the values reported in this table; however, they are typically met through the dam’s milk.