How do we know how many minerals are in our Redmond Trophy Rock deer mineral supplements? More importantly, why does it matter to your deer herd? Let's look at where Trophy Rock originates from, how we know the number of minerals in our supplements, and how they improve herd health and help deer reach their genetic potential.
Because minerals continuously leach from the Earth’s surface due to wind, precipitation, and erosion, seas are a treasure trove of life-sustaining minerals. Here at Redmond, we feel lucky to have one of those—an ancient seabed, that is!
Redmond’s minerals are harvested from the crystallized remains of a Jurassic sea protected for thousands of years by a volcanic bentonite clay cap. This incredible mineral and clay deposit—located near our Redmond headquarters in central Utah—is geologically unique and serves as the foundation for all of our human, soil, livestock, equine, and deer mineral supplements.
Because Redmond's minerals come from an ancient sea deposit, they contain a few different salts. However, one glance at the natural color variation of a Trophy Rock mined from this rich deposit shows there’s also much more packed in our rocks! To drill down on exactly which minerals are present, we submitted Trophy Rock samples to ISO-rated Advanced Laboratories in Salt Lake City. Let’s talk about what they found in their mineral test.
Mineral testing labs use various methods to identify which elements are present in each sample submitted. Not only do they zero in on the specific chemical composition of these samples, but also their concentrations—or how much of a specific element is present.
Advanced Laboratories uses specialized instruments that excite (create a greater energy state) the sample's atoms with plasma. Once heated, the elements give off waves of electromagnetic radiation, with each element owning its signature wavelength. The scientists then use instruments to identify each element by their wavelength and measure each atom’s mass to discover how much is present in the sample. Pretty heavy stuff, right? Now let’s zero in on what elements they found in Redmond Trophy Rock.
Advanced Laboratories’ measured the minerals in Redmond Trophy Rock down to parts per million. They found over 60 different minerals in Trophy Rock in varying quantities. (Discover what the results were in this Trophy Rock mineral analysis.) Most of the minerals are present in very small, or trace amounts. These “trace minerals” are contained within a carrier of tasty salts that deer and other animals love.
A reliable mineral analysis differentiates between a guaranteed analysis and a typical analysis. This allows the mineral report to accommodate for the concentration variations that naturally occur in mineral deposits. So, what’s the difference between “guaranteed” and “typical” minerals?
Now let’s talk about how minerals are measured. Redmond requested a mineral concentration test down to parts per million (ppm) because these units are frequently used in the deer supplement industry. However, if we conducted a parts-per-billion (ppb) test (which would put a Redmond Trophy Rock under an even closer microscope), even more trace minerals would be discovered!
Some companies test their products down to ppb, which allows them to inflate the advertised number of minerals in their products. However, these minerals aren’t present in significant enough quantities to matter for soil and animal uses. In fact, it would take 1,000 parts per billion to equal 1 part per million.
Confused about how much that is? Let’s compare it to something we can wrap our heads around. According to the EPA: “A way to visualize one part per billion (ppb) in water is to think of it as one drop in one billion drops of water or about one drop of water in a swimming pool. One part per million is about 1 cup of water in a swimming pool.”
Even though trace minerals are only needed in small amounts, they provide a wide range of health benefits for all living things—including deer. The mineral profile naturally found in deep seawater has been a point of interest for medical researchers for a long time, especially for Maynard Murray, MD.
He devoted the bulk of his career to studying why ocean life was devoid of the degenerative diseases that plague land animals, including humans. Dr. Murray discovered the mineral profile of deep seawater was mirrored in the elements and concentrations in healthy blood, plasma specifically. His book, Sea Energy Agriculture, explores how using deep sea minerals helps eliminate trace mineral deficiencies. He said:
“The discovery of these facts led to researching the effects of sea minerals applied to soils and plants for healthier food. The results were astounding—plants grew faster and healthier, were more disease-resistant, and maintained higher nutritive value. Animals also preferred to graze on the treated pasture land.”
Medical researchers have also noticed that human health suffers when trace minerals are deficient or missing from our diets. The National Institute of Health researched deep seawater and discovered valuable health benefits. Their tests show that deep seawater:
Did you know Redmond has people and culinary products featuring our expansive minerals? Check out our Redmond Real Salt, seasoned salts, and other products!
The total mineral content of a deer’s body is only about 5 percent. That doesn't seem like much, right? So are trace minerals that important for deer? Absolutely! Deer can have access to plenty of forage and still struggle if the right minerals aren’t present in the soil and plants they consume. (Learn more about why trace minerals for deer are important.)
While deer’s nutritional needs change throughout the year and each phase of life, here are some critical physiological functions minerals support:
One easy way to supplement minerals on your land and increase herd health is to provide deer with a quality mineral site. It’s a simple and affordable way to help deliver all the trace minerals deer need.
Here at Redmond, we’re proud of our goal to nourish the world from the ground up with our thoroughly tested and expansive mineral profile of 60+ minerals! Our trace mineral salt support humans, healthy farming operations, livestock, and they’ll also help you grow healthier deer herds and bigger bucks. Pick up a natural Trophy Rock or Block or try our Four65 crushed minerals at your mineral site. Click below to shop these and other Redmond Hunt products today.
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