Redmond Natural Trace Mineral Salt

[River Rest]

Do any of you give your animals Redmond Natural Trace Mineral Salt? Is it the same as the All Natural Real Salt they make? This is what we use in the kitchen. Just wondering if the 2 are the same thing just one packaged for animal use & the other for human use.

[Forerunner]

We use it.
We like it.

Animals get their portion and we use the same stuff in the kitchen.
We buy the stuff that's the consistency of large sand grains, for about 8 bucks a fifty pound, and use it, that size, for canning and recipes, and we grind it down a bit finer when company comes.

[Scrounger]

We don't use that BRAND, but we do use natural mineral salt for both us and the goats.
One word of caution, though -

We were at the actual "salt mine" one time, buying salt. We had it loaded and were driving away when I read the fine print. It said that "Sodium Prussiate" was added to prevent caking. It was in bags labled for animal and human use. We turned around and got some that did not contain it.

Just something to look for....

[CIW]

The Anasazi people made treks to this outcropping. They were the first humans recorded using it. They have found this salt as far south as the grand canyon. In the ruins there.
Today Redmond Salt is mined just a little ways from me. The same family has owned the place for several generations.
You can also purchase natural chunk salt rocks. I like them best.
To answer your ? The salt is all the same. It goes through a slurry process to remove the bentonite that intermingles with the salt. The smaller grains are screened out and sent to a steam press and grinder to make blocks and the small grains bagged.
I don't think that they add anything due to the bentonite the naturally occurs along with the salt which prevents clumping. They actually try to remove the bentonite so that it will stick together when they make blocks.
The smaller screenings are packaged for human consumption. Due to the increase in human use, they have had to start grinding more for that purpose.
They also bag the bentonite for use in the oil and water well industries.

[River Rest]

I suspected it was all the same. The one for animals is much cheaper. I've seen a 50# bag for $15. If it's a bigger grain I can use a salt mill. I really like the Redmond brand. Hope I can find it locally. Thanks again!

[Scrounger]

Originally Posted by CIW

I don't think that they add anything due to the bentonite the naturally occurs along with the salt which prevents clumping. They actually try to remove the bentonite so that it will stick together when they make blocks.
The smaller screenings are packaged for human consumption. Due to the increase in human use, they have had to start grinding more for that purpose.
They also bag the bentonite for use in the oil and water well industries.

I'd check, just the same. The salt we bought has Bentonite in it, and they STILL added the SP........

[jrfarm]

We use it.
We like it.

Animals get their portion and we use the same stuff in the kitchen.
We buy the stuff that's the consistency of large sand grains, for about 8 bucks a fifty pound, and use it, that size, for canning and recipes, and we grind it down a bit finer when company comes.

Forerunner,
where do you buy it at that price?

[Forerunner]

There is a dealer just west of Macomb, Illinois, who handles Redmond products as well as kelp and other off-the-beaten path animal and plant nutrients.
He is a retired fellow who used to be a Kent Feeds™ salesman.
I don't know if he is so reasonable with his prices as a matter of penance or if he's just not out to make a killing...... or both.
I've never tried contacting Redmond directly, though I suspect it might be interesting to do so. I have a friend in upper midwestern Missouri who also deals in Redmond products.
Where are you ?

[Ken Scharabok]

As an aside, I've stopped using trace mineral salt for my cattle. It, as noted, just has traces of various minerals. About 99% salt. I now use a mineral block, supplemented by a white salt block. Mineral block only has about 20% salt. A bit more expensive than the trace mineral blocks, but I feel it is more hangs for the bucks. Cattle really seem to like it.

Also, if you don't take off the plastic wrapper it will last a lot longer in the feeder.

[Forerunner]

Redmond does offer their product in raw block form.
For what it's worth, I trust their natural composition over a manufactured mineral block. They do offer a fairly complete mineral analysis.

Chemical Analysis Avg. Max. Min.
Sodium Chloride 93% 96% 91%
Calcium 0.55% 0.85% 0.35%
Copper 3 ppm
Iodine 12 ppm 10 ppm
Iron 500 ppm 300 ppm
Magnesium 0.09% 0.06%
Manganese 5 ppm
Phosphorus 0.02%
Potassium 0.03%
Sulfur 0.2% 0.07%
Zinc 3 ppm
Also Contains Over 50 Natural Minerals Including the Following in Alphabetical Order:
Typical - Not Guaranteed
Mineral ppm
Aluminum 215
Antimony 1.08
Arsenic 0.05
Barium 9.95
Bismuth 0.38
Boron 1.07
Bromine 10.51
Cadmium .27
Carbon 204
Cerium .76
Cesium .33
Chromium 0.16
Cobalt 0.08
Dysporsium .21
Erbium 1.34
Fluoride 13.8
Mineral ppm
Gadolinium .61
Gallium 2.36
Germanium .27
Indium .37
Lanthanum 0.08
Lead 0.06
Lithium 0.74
Lutetium .07
Molybdenum 0.08
Nickel .07
Niobium 0.11
Praseodymium .11
Rubidium 3.77
Ruthenium .07
Samarium 1.44
Scandium .18
Mineral ppm
Selenium 0.23
Silicon 3000
Silver .29
Strontium 11.9
Tantalum .97
Tellurium 0.17
Thallium .09
Thorium 0.19
Thulium .07
Tin .12
Titanium 0.93
Tungsten .11
Vanadium .18
Ytterbium .07
Yttrium 0.04
Zirconium 2.95
Redmond Minerals, Inc.
PO Box 219
6005 N 100 W
Redmond, UT 84652

[Ken Scharabok]

(Tennessee) Co-op All Purpose Mineral Block for Feedlot Cattle #660:

Calcium - 22-26.4%
Phosphorus - 4%
Salt - 15.5-19.8%
(The rest are minimums)
Magnesium - .5%
Potassium - .5%
Copper - 750 ppm
Manganese - 2,250 ppm
Selenium - 30 ppm
Zinc - 2,500 ppm
Vitamin A - 100,000 IU/Lb
Vitamin D-3 - 25,00 IU/Lb
Vitamin E - 100 IU/Lb

Block also does include some swine meat and bone meal. No sodium prussiate listed.

[jrfarm]

Where are you ?

we're in Springfield, MO.

I looked online and couldn't find it that cheap . . . I'll have to ask around locally.

[Forerunner]

My friend is north of you, near Brookfield.
If you like, I can pm you his contact info.
He farms organically on 160 acres, give or take, and has a small dairy to boot.
He loves meeting like-minded folk, as I do.