Meeting your cow’s needs means understanding her life stage, how her appearance affects performance, your forage base and the Purina program that best fits your individual situation. The two most important time periods for a cow are 60-90 days before she calves and after calving, when she begins to supply the calf with the nutrition needed to grow and develop. 
 
Sixty to ninety days before calving, her requirements increase dramatically for protein, energy and minerals. There is a virtual calf growth explosion going on inside the cow, as 65 percent to 75 percent of the calf’s growth occurs in the last 60-90 days before birth.

After calving, cow requirements continue to escalate, with a huge demand placed on the cow’s body. Why? Because milk production increases the demands for protein by 70 percent, energy by 15 percent, and phosphorus by 70 percent. If these demands for milk production are not met, the calf will not be able to express its full genetic potential for gain.