Nutritional status can have major implications for animal health and production. Energy balance is easily determined using a body condition scoring system. This allows producers to readily adjust diets to meet an animal’s needs. Far less obvious is an animal’s trace mineral status, which is typically not assessed until an animal’s performance falls below expectation or illness is detected. Trace mineral toxicities and deficiencies can manifest as reduced thriftiness and/or poor reproductive performance, resulting in economic consequences for producers. Maternal mineral status not only impacts dam heath, but also the health of subsequent offspring. Both the oocyte and embryo are susceptible to changes in maternal mineral status. This susceptibility is maintained throughout fetal development via placental control of nutrient transfer to the fetal system. Furthermore, maternal mineral status continues to impact offspring health via colostrum and milk quality. Herein we discuss the roles of trace minerals in bovine reproductive performance, maternal health, colostrum and milk quality, and offspring health.

Poor maternal nutrition can cause several maladaptive phenotypes in exposed offspring. While non-sex-specific and female-specific adaptations are well-documented, male-specific outcomes are still poorly understood. Of particular interest are the outcomes in bulls and rams, as developmental programming directly impacts long-term productivity of the animal as well as human food security. The following review discusses the impact of poor maternal dietary energy and protein on bull and ram developmental programming as it relates to growth, development, and reproductive capacity. The review also highlights the importance of the timing of maternal dietary insult, as early-, mid-, and late-gestational insults can all have varying effects on offspring.