An Inside Look at Rumen Microbes in Cows

To learn more about cattle supplements that allow rumen microbes to flourish, like Accuration® or the Purina® All Seasons™ Cattle Nutrition Program, visit purinamills.com/cattle. You might wonder, what do microbes in the rumen of cows do? Or you may not have given thought to them at all. But, rumen microbes or “bugs” inside a cow’s stomach have a significant impact on how a cow digests forage. Rumen microbes turn the fiber cows eat into energy and protein they can use. These bugs are needed to digest feed and produce volatile fatty acids, or VFAs, which are used by the cow as energy. This energy is used for maintenance, growth, lactation and reproduction, making these tiny bugs a very big deal. Microbes perform their best when there’s a consistent supply of nutrition, which maintains a consistent rumen pH. When nutrition doesn’t supply the nutrients needed for the microbe population to thrive, rumen microbes become less active and less efficient, if they function at all. One way to provide the nutrients rumen microbes need to flourish is providing your cows with Purina® Accuration® supplement. It helps provide the consistent nutrition needed to achieve a desirable rumen environment and maintain a consistent body condition score. Purina® Accuration® cattle supplements are a vital part of the Purina® All Seasons™ Cattle Nutrition Program. The program not only delivers proven, flexible cattle nutrition solutions, it also gives you confidence you’re doing what’s right for your animals and operation.