Justin A Ramirez, M.S. - Livestock Nutritionist

09/03/2026

I had the honor of being asked to join Lauren on Cattle USA Media to discuss cattle nutrition decisions and how those affect fetal programming in cow/calf, farm to table and seed stock operations. Give this one a listen and leave your thoughts or questions below in the comments!

Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and keep an eye out for more as I’ll be featured to speak regularly!

Thanks and gig ‘em! 👍🏼

Nutrition plays a much bigger role in cattle production than simply...

09/02/2026

406: Fetal Programming: The Nutrition Decisions That Shape Your Calf’s Future with Justin Ramirez, CattleUSA Daily Podcast

Nutrition plays a much bigger role in cattle production than simply...

08/13/2026

Did I Do My Job?

Every time I breed a female via artificial insemination, I think about everything that had to go right before I ever picked up the AI gun.

When I put my AI technician hat on, usually by the time a female gets in front of you, a lot of the work has already been done.

You’re hoping she’s been managed correctly, her nutritional needs have been met, she’s in adequate body condition, healthy, cycling and that everything leading up to breeding has been handled the way it should.

Then it’s my turn to do my job.

At that point, my job is to handle the semen correctly, take my time through the reproductive tract and deposit the semen in the uterine body with as minimal stress as possible.

What I think is easy to forget is that getting a female bred doesn’t come down to what happens in those few minutes at the chute, although it can certainly undo a lot of hard work. So make sure you trust your AI technician!!

It may be the nutrition decisions that were made months ago. Her body condition going into breeding. Her health program. Mineral intake. Heat detection. Timing after standing heat. Semen quality and handling. And finally, the technician doing their job correctly.

Keep in mind, research has shown just how much body condition can influence reproductive performance. In one dataset, cows at a BCS 4 had a 58% pregnancy rate compared to 85% for cows at a BCS 5. That’s a pretty significant difference for one body condition score.

There are a lot of opportunities along the way for something to go right or wrong.

By the time I have the AI gun in my hand, I can’t fix poor body condition from three months ago or make up for management not putting out mineral or watching standing heat. I can only make sure I do my part and don’t become the weak link in the chain.

And even if we do everything right, biology still gets the final say.

I think that’s one of the things I enjoy most about reproduction and nutrition. They constantly remind you that livestock production is a system built on teamwork.

My wife Kristy and I work together watching heats in our herd to make sure we’re on time, not too early and definitely not too late. Very rarely is success or failure tied back to one single thing.

Do the little things right, stay consistent and give your females the best opportunity to do what we’re asking them to do.

God Bless and Gig ‘Em

08/07/2026

Reflecting back one key takeaway, I really enjoyed Dr. Jason Banta’s practical session at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course discussing whether excess minerals could actually be hurting cattle performance.

It reminded me of something I see all too often in the field, not only with cattle, but on the equine side as well.

When we’re trying to do everything we can for our horse and cattle, it can be easy to take somewhat of a “shotgun approach” to nutrition “to make sure they get everything they need.”
A tub goes out. Then another a salt block, a sulfur block, a mineral block, then liquids gets added. Maybe an injectable product is used. The feed contains additional trace minerals. Before long, we may have several different sources supplying some of the same nutrients because it may give us a false sense of security. “It makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing,” is something I commonly hear.

The intention is good. But more of a nutrient doesn’t necessarily mean more performance.

I think about it like my son asking me for a popsicle, then another. Just because he wanted a red one instead of that John Deere green one he already ate doesn’t automatically mean he needs one.

As his dadda, it’s my job to understand the difference between what “he wants” and what “he actually needs.” Now he asks if there’s protein in candy because he knows what I’m looking for!

Equine and ruminant nutrition aren’t all that different. Our job isn’t simply to keep adding things because they might help. Our job is to understand what the animal is already receiving, what the animal actually requires, and then determine if there is a nutritional gap that needs to be filled. That’s when we’re both economic and efficient.

Minerals are especially important because they don’t operate independently of one another. Supplying nutrients well beyond an animal’s requirements can create antagonisms that affect the availability or utilization of other nutrients. And sometimes, we may simply be spending money on something the animal doesn’t need.

This is one of my favorite parts! Mostly because I love helping programs and businesses gain confidence by making those adjustments early on. Teamwork makes the dream work.

That’s why I believe we have to evaluate the entire nutritional program instead of looking at each product individually. What is the forage supplying? What’s already in the feed? What’s in the mineral? What other supplements or products are being used? And ultimately, what does the animal actually require?…. Oh wait, what about the number one nutrient they need, water?

Sometimes improving a nutrition program isn’t about figuring out what else we can add.

Sometimes it’s figuring out what we don’t need.

Another great session and another reminder of why continuing education is so important in this industry! You’re never too old to stop learning.

God bless and Gig ‘Em!

08/05/2026

Reminiscing in Aggieland!

The Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is an event I look forward to every year. It seems like every time I come back to College Station, I’m reminded just how much this place shaped my career and my passion for animal nutrition.

One of the highlights today was getting to catch up with my graduate school professor and mentor, Dr. Gordon Carstens. Seems like just yesterday I was worrying about how much red ink he was going to leave on my thesis draft and whether I was going to pass my defense or not!

It’s funny how walking around campus brought back memories of long days in class, research projects, teaching Feeds and Feeding labs, and spending long days in Kleberg.

As much as I enjoy reconnecting with old friends and mentors, I come back each year to keep learning. Our industry is constantly evolving, and there’s always something new I can take back to implement in our personal program and with the producers I have the privilege of consulting with.

I consider myself blessed for the education I received at Texas A&M, the people like Dr. Carstens who invested in me along the way, and the opportunity to continue learning.

Already looking forward to another great Beef Cattle Short Course next year!

Gig ’em! 👍🐂

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08/04/2026

Excited for this session here at Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. You’re never too far in your career or too old to continue learning.

Your replacement heifers today are your milking/breeding herd tomorrow and how you feed and manage them now sets the tone for their entire productive life. I like to think about it like this: The heifers you raise right the first time are the ones that don’t cost you twice. 💪

Thank you Dr. Karl Harborth for sharing knowledge and insights!

08/02/2026

28 days post artificial insemination.

It’s amazing how much hope and anxiety can fit into a small tube of blood.

This video was taken while I was collecting a blood sample from one of our percentage Simbrah females, 28 days after artificial insemination. Within minutes chute side we’re able to determine if she’s bred or not.
In those minutes of stress waiting to see if we get 2 lines leaves me time to think.

Since calving, shes been facing higher energy demand in addition to healing before she’s ready to cycle again, we’ve been hoping all of the pieces came together.

Now it’s a matter of did we catch her in standing heat at the right time? My wife and I check heats religiously!

Did I do my job with an insemination timed correctly?

Did I handle the semen properly?

Was her body on time with fertilization to occur?

Will she maintain her pregnancy through those critical first few weeks?

There are so many variables that have to line up before a calf is ever born. This blood sample is a milestone that tells us whether everything has gone according to plan…so far.

As a nutritionist, it’s also a reminder that reproductive success doesn’t begin on breeding day. It begins months before with good nutrition, proper body condition, sound herd health, low-stress handling, and day-to-day management.

We also have to take into account what the environment is providing and decide accordingly.
Believe me, my brain and my wallet tend to have conflicting ideas when it comes to our personal program.

Moments like this are why I enjoy what I do. When I have my rancher hat on, I’m excited about what new genetics are in the works for next calving season. When I have my nutritionist hat on, it helps validate the nutrition program I’ve implemented is working as it should.

Every breeding season is another opportunity to stack the odds in our favor and hopefully celebrate nine months later when a healthy calf hits the ground.

PS, this percentage Simbrah, Billie, was confirmed bred via Idexx Alertys!

God Bless and Gig Em!

07/29/2026

Howdy!

Next week I’ll be attending the 2026 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in College Station.

If you’ll be there, I’d love to meet you! Whether you want to visit about cattle, horses, nutrition, or just introduce yourself, feel free to stop me and say howdy!

One of my favorite parts of Short Course is learning what’s new from some of the best in our industry and bringing those ideas back to continue helping producers, including myself, make practical, research based nutrition decisions.

Looking forward to it! Hope to see y’all there! 👍

07/25/2026

My feed program is the same but my horse is starting to lose weight, why?

After spending all day outside in this Texas heat at Port A, my family and I are feeling it this morning. We’re tired, sore, and probably need a little extra electrolytes and amino acids in my coffee to recover after a full day at the beach yesterday. 🏖️

Our horses and cattle aren’t any different.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming yesterday’s feeding program should still meet today’s requirements.

Maybe the pasture forage quality has declined.
Maybe you bought a new load of hay.
Maybe activity has increased.
Maybe heat stress is raising maintenance requirements.

Well, maybe the feed tag and hay didn’t necessarily change, but the animal’s needs sure did.

This is part of the equation in my experience I don’t think most horse owners or cattlemen take into account as much as they should.

Before blaming the feed or supplement, ask yourself:

Has your horse’s environment changed more than the feeding program?

Sometimes it’s not that the feed is falling short.
It’s that the nutritional target has moved, this is KEY!!

That’s why nutrition isn’t about feeding the same thing every day, believe me, I have to remind myself all the time.

It’s about continually matching nutrient supply with changing animal requirements.

Remember, supplementation is supposed to help bridge the nutritional gap between forage and your animal’s requirements. Those requirements are not static and change with the environment, just like ours.

07/18/2026

Flaxseed doesn’t build TOPLINE. There, I said it.

Over the past few years I’ve come across many horse owners on my farm calls, in addition to those in online Facebook groups who are adding flaxseed, chia seeds, or rice bran to improve topline in horse diets.

And that certainly got me thinking about a few things…

Are we giving too much credit to the ingredient itself and not actually looking at the nutrients it contributes to the diet? I’ve attached that info for your review.

Now, let’s compare it to ourselves as humans for just a second.

If you decided to start working out because you wanted to build muscle, would simply adding flaxseed to your breakfast or dinner make a noticeable difference?

Probably not. Well….Why though?

Because we understand that muscle is built from amino acids(the building blocks of protein) and calories provide the energy to support that process.

Now let’s connect that same concept back to our horses.

Flaxseed is a valuable ingredient, don’t get me wrong. It contributes calories, fat, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which can have a place in a balanced feed program.

BUT if a horse’s biggest nutritional limitation is protein quality or amino acid intake, adding flaxseed alone may not produce the topline improvement you’re expecting.

You may see improvement over their topline because there is “cover”, however I bet once you start increasing level of activity, you’ll soon see that topline start to melt off. Because that “cover” is actually fat from excess energy.

In my experience, some of the diets I come across are compensating for the lack of nutrients, primarily energy and amino acid content. And horse owners are feeding these types of ingredients to compensate.

There is so much focus put on the supplements/feed/grain side that the forage side tends to take a backseat and subsequently becomes underfed in many of the programs I come across. At recommended 1.5-2% body weight, that’s the bulk of your horse’s diet. Let’s look at that too.

That’s why I think we sometimes ask the wrong question.

My challenge for you is instead of asking, “Should I feed flaxseed?”

Maybe we should first ask,
“What nutrients are my horses actually getting in their daily diet?”

One of the goals I always have when going in to my consultations is taking the time to calculate the numbers that are actually going into your horse’s diet.

I like to call this my “Cowboy Math”. For those I’ve done this for, they think it’s eye opening and then it’s followed by, “that’s pretty cool. Can you show me how you did that again with your phone calculator?”.

That allows YOU as the horse owner to see what is really limiting and make more confident decisions about what direction to go in.

Whether we’re limiting in protein, digestible energy, amino acids, vitamins, or minerals, the diet is influencing genetics, let’s make the most of them… after all, you paid for those genetics right?

Every ingredient has a purpose.

The key is understanding what that purpose actually is.

If you’d like help understanding your horse’s diet, let’s partner up to see what’s really going on.

Gig ‘Em and God Bless.