Justin A Ramirez, M.S. - Livestock Nutritionist

Justin A Ramirez, M.S. - Livestock Nutritionist Howdy! I am a livestock nutritionist with experience and graduate education in various species. Thank you for visiting my page!
(1)

I’m a livestock nutritionist and work as a nutrition consultant for various species. I earned my Masters of Science in Ruminant Nutrition from Texas A&M University in 2014 and my Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2010. In addition, while working on my masters, I taught the Feeds and Feeding lab for 2 years. I still have educational material used in lab and research based articles that I use for support. My thesis was over identifying feed efficient cattle through RFI, residual feed intake, on Santa Gertrudis cattle from the King Ranch. I grew up on a beef cattle and horse ranch in south Texas and my family has run Charolais and black Brangus cattle for 50+ years. My certifications include: Artificial Insemination for beef cattle and Certified Veterinary Assistant. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me with all of your livestock nutrition needs.

02/02/2026

Part 2 unpopular opinion feeding grass hay AND alfalfa evenly morning and night.

01/27/2026

Part 1: Unpopular opinion feeding grass hay vs. alfalfa hay and why this is a hot topic with equine owners. This same logic applies to cattle producers as well. Sorry I got cut off at the end. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow.

01/17/2026

Research suggests developing females to 60-70% of their mature weight by breeding season.
Subtract your target weight by your current weight and divide by the number of days it’ll take to get to breeding time.
Testing your hay lets you know how much more you have to feed to achieve targeted rate of gain.
My personal recommendation is 1.6-1.8 lbs ADG to avoid over conditioning which can result in lower milking capabilities.
Knowing your numbers helps keep your program efficient and avoid problems down the road like lighter weaning weights and dystocia.
Holler if you need some fine tuning in your program.

Howdy Yall,If you’re a beef cow-calf producer in the Seguin and surrounding areas, stop on by tomorrow evening learn mor...
01/12/2026

Howdy Yall,

If you’re a beef cow-calf producer in the Seguin and surrounding areas, stop on by tomorrow evening learn more on building winter programs around forage results.

Take the guess work out your feed program and feed with intended purpose.

I’ll be speaking with real world forage results and target gain for bred females fixing to spring calve.

Know if your forage is meeting, exceeding, or even lacking in energy and protein.

Hope to see yall there!

Something to consider when talking about calf vigor….Calf vigor is something cow-calf producers look for when watching n...
12/28/2025

Something to consider when talking about calf vigor….

Calf vigor is something cow-calf producers look for when watching newborn calves stand to nurse and get around.

As I like to say, weak cows produce weak calves.

When looking at gestational development, the calf’s organs are produced in the first trimester of pregnancy. So, it’s no surprise that calves born to females that have experienced drought are more susceptible to respiratory problems.

Here are some key points to consider in your cow-calf program:

- Selenium is important for muscle strength and suckle reflex.

- Copper and zinc support immune function and epithelial tissue.

- Iodine supports thyroid function and temperature regulation.

- Vitamin E is a big antioxidant that supports muscle strength and immune function.

- Vitamin A supports mucosal immunity.

If you’re experiencing calves that aren’t standing within 30 minutes of calving and nursing, you may have some deficiencies in your program.


Merry Christmas from my family to yours. May your day be blessed and filled with the Lords grace and peace.
12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from my family to yours. May your day be blessed and filled with the Lords grace and peace.

12/23/2025

Some things to think about, if you feel like your program has plateaued and you know it has more potential. Take a hard look at the operation and keep it simple. DM me if you’re feeling stuck.

12/09/2025

Horses produce stomach acid 24/7. That’s why constant forage is key to preventing ulcers. 🐴🍃

If you give this a try, share your experience in the comments!

11/26/2025

These are the 3 things you need to know when evaluating your horses feeding program.

11/25/2025

Winter supplementation strategy, consider planting oats or rye over winter.


11/16/2025

Most heifer problems come down to hay quality.
Test it. Sort it. Feed the right group the right hay.
Your gains and breed back will thank you.

Howdy!Here’s a little behind the scenes at our ranch. We exclusively do artificial insemination in our breeding operatio...
07/26/2025

Howdy!
Here’s a little behind the scenes at our ranch. We exclusively do artificial insemination in our breeding operation done by myself personally.

We’re preg checking females by tail bleeding to get results on site.

Today, July 26th, this percentage Simbrah cow at a BCS of 6.5 was confirmed bred 28 days post AI after using sexed semen to ensure we’ll be having another heifer on the way.

She calved May 19 and started cycling back 40 days later on June 28.

When females are in 5-7 BCS, research suggests they’ll be cycling around 40 days and typically will be bred back within 60-90 days. These windows are also factored by water and mineral quality.

This percentage Simbrah is well within the research data and one of the reasons I preach to producers I work with, monitor that body condition score and keep out a mineral they will consume to keep preg rates from slipping.

Big myth is just because they’re not eating it regularly, doesn’t mean that they don’t need it.

If you’re keeping a salt block, protein tub, and a loose mineral, but wonder why they’re not eating it.
Well, salt is the attractant and chances are they’re getting the salt from the salt block and not the mineral.

With performance like this, it’s hard to argue that research data isn’t repeatable. When it’s repeatable, we select those genetics and use heifer sexed semen to keep those genetics going.

This of course is the same in all species. The challenge with equine is we can tend to over supplement which can create deficiencies.

Hope this helps shed some light on this topic.

Cheers to another heifer on the way!

God bless and Gig ‘Em!

Address

Seguin, TX
78155

Telephone

(956) 454-6962

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Justin A Ramirez, M.S. - Livestock Nutritionist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Justin A Ramirez, M.S. - Livestock Nutritionist:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram