Water is a vital nutrient not only for humans, but for animals as well — that's why it's important to test water quality to ensure livestock are getting the proper minerals.

Livestock specialist Natasha Wilkie says water high in sulphates can react with trace minerals like copper, which can affect the gastrointestinal tract and thiamin production in the animal. Wilkie says this can lead to copper and thiamin deficiencies in cattle, which can result in poor weight gain, polioencephalomalacia, and even blindness.

But she explains there's something producers can do about that.

"You can give (cattle) mineral supplementation that has copper in it," Wilkie says. "General rules of thumb we have, are if your animals are in mid-gestation, so kind of that four to six months pregnant, then you can give them one to two ounces per cow. Late pregnancy, so that's seven to nine months pregnant, then two to three ounces per cow is recommended."

Wilkie says during lactation, cows require a little more minerals, recommending about three to four ounces per cow.