Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Bovine viral diarrhea viruses, also known as BVDV, affect all kinds of animals, including cattle, swine, llamas and more, according to Dr. Julia Ridpath with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Disease Center.
Even though the word “diarrhea” is included in the name, the primary target of the virus is the immune system rather than the digestive tract. One of the results of infection is a weakened immune system, which...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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J Hall has been raising calves for the past 15 years. He started his business with a few hutches and has grown to raising 5,000 calves under five months and 1,800 heifers five-months to springers. This year, he is planning to continue the expansion of his operation to accommodate the needs of area farmers.
Hall said, "As long as you can raise healthy calves, the demand is there."
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Autofeeders have advanced since they were first released on the market. According to Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator, more advanced autofeeders come with a reconsideration of how to manage your facility.
Hoskins said autofeeders are free-range feeding systems. They allow milk on demand for the calves that are grouped around a feeder. Every calf has the ability to have an individual feeding plan and drinks a certain allotment...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Adequately taking care of your calves and heifers today is important because they will be influencing the milking herd’s performance in 2014. It seems as though most farmers don't spend enough time focusing on the calves and heifers, and spend most of their time dealing with the milk producing cows, said Dr. Alex Bach with IRTA-ICREA in Barcelona, Spain. Bach said that those ways are changing now and it is just as important...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Raising a healthy replacement heifer is a long, complicated process. According to Dr. David Carlson, technical services with Milk Products LLC, calf growth is influenced by many factors, including genetics, environment, health and nutrition. Understanding how all the factors work together can have a big impact on the management decisions you make to maximize performance.
Starting with genetics, breed traits influence a calf’s nutritional needs; for example, a Holstein calf...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
A veterinarian by training, Dr. Don Niles, co-owner and manager of Dairy Dreams, LLC, understands the value of good records to monitor calf performance. Prior to listening to his presentation at Vita Plus Calf Summit, attendees had the opportunity to visit the 2,800-cow dairy and see firsthand how good management goes a long way in raising healthy calves.
Niles’ presentation focused on evaluating records for not only calf performance and health, but also employee management.
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Animal stockmanship is important to ensure animals are cared for in the safest way. Dr. Paul Rapnicki, University of Minnesota, said his goal for stockmanship is to reconnect the dairy industry through employees, vets, herdsmen and more.
Communication is the key to efficient and safe animal handling. Rapnicki said many of the techniques used today are not the best strategies for working with animals. A lack of awareness can lead...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
LeRoy Butler joined Calf Summit attendees to share his inspiring life story of facing adversity with the right attitude. Butler is a former strong safety for the Green Bay Packers and the inventor of the "Lambeau Leap."
Butler was born and raised in the inner-city of Jacksonville, Fla. His childhood included countless trips to the doctor because he couldn’t walk like the other kids at school. He had braces on his legs and was in a wheelchair. He reminisced on riding...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Genomics is an emerging technology, and those using it are learning as they go. The application of genomics in a commercial herd makes the most sense with heifers and calves, said University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Pat Hoffman.
Preparing a sample for a genomics test can be as simple as plucking a hair sample from the calf’s tale or using blood drawn during a sample for antibody transfer.
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Darin Mann is a co-owner of M & M Feedlot, a 13,000-head heifer feedlot on the border of Oregon and Idaho. This feedlot is unique because, not only does it house 13,000 animals, but it also does it right next to a river and U.S. fish and game ponds.
M&M Feedlot has been in the family since 1947, and the feedlot has been operating since 1972 when Mann’s...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
The warm winter certainly made for nice conditions for calf raisers, but it will add some challenges for calf managers this summer. In this edition of Calf Chat, Ann explores what calf management practices to focus on without a winter kill of bacteria.
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Autofeeders Boost Consistency at Jones Dairy Over and over, calf raisers are lectured on the importance of consistency for raising strong, healthy calves. That’s especially relevant when it comes to the nutrition of these young animals.
At Jones Dairy in Spencer, Iowa, Aaron (Jones) Titterington found one tool to offer more consistency to the farm’s Jersey calves: automatic calf feeders.
Titterington returned to her family’s farm in 2003 after graduating from Iowa State University with a degree...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Cathy Speirs of Shiloh Dairy LLC shares what she's done to manage calves during this unusual spring. Thank you to Cathy for joining the Starting Strong team for the past year and providing her expertise. Meet our next calf raiser in our June edition!
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Eliza Ruzic, Vita Plus Loyal Dairy Specialist
Mother Nature has taken us on a rollercoaster ride in Central Wisconsin this spring, with the warmest March on record and below-average temperatures in April. The swings in weather have kept calf and heifer raisers on their toes to make sure their calves are healthy and growing. We tightened our management, worked through challenges and had success along the way.
The management areas we've focused on include ventilation,...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Dr. Al Martens joins us from Waupun Veterinary Service , which "stives to provide innovative and compassionate veterinary medical care and consulting services for progressive livestock producres which improve animal health and produce profitability."
Q: Why is Mycoplasma so difficult to manage and what can I do to control it?
A: Mycoplasma bovis is a common problem in calves, contributing to pneumonia, the classic ear infections with dropped ears, and joint infections. Whenever a herd...
Posted on November 9th, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
When it comes to raising healthy heifers in a humane fashion, preventing infectious disease is only part of the battle. Internal and external parasites also can take a toll on heifers' wellbeing and limit their production potential as well.
Parasite control comprises a significant portion of the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association's Gold Standards III , which address animal welfare.
"Heifers are more susceptible to damage from parasite infections than adult cattle, negatively affecting their growth potential and ability...
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