VIDEO: A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser – Calf Barn Tour with Jonathon Hallock, MarBec Dairy

Posted on April 20, 2017 in
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In this segment of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Jonathon Hallock, MarBec Dairy, explains the decision-making process that led to the construction of the farm's four-row calf barn.

Are we keeping too many replacements? – Cal Greenfield, Hilltop Dairy, LLC, Lee Meinholz, Blue Star Dairy (Middleton), Dr. Greg Bethard, Pagel Family Businesses

Posted on June 29, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

For most farms, keeping every replacement heifer probably doesn’t make the most sense.  However, deciding which and how many heifers to sell is different for every farm and depends on the goals you have for your operation.  During a panel discussion at Vita Plus Calf Summit, three producers shared their strategies for the heifer program.

Heifer rearing cost: Critical control points – Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus

Posted on June 29, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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By Progressive Dairyman Editor Peggy Coffeen
When it comes to raising heifers, cutting costs is challenging because 60 percent of the total expense is feed. While feed costs are quite volatile, costs can be controlled at a few places in heifer rearing.

Beyond the Barn: The Graduating Class…in 24 Months – Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus

Posted on April 28, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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By Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus dairy development manager
It is hard to think forward to the day when a newborn heifer calf will freshen herself.  It is really difficult when milk prices on her birthday are less than the cost of the farm’s ability to produce milk. In some producers’ minds, it can be just another expensive mouth to feed. 

Dairy Heifers: Feed Cost Control Points – Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus

Posted on December 21, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist With the cycle of lower milk prices upon us, we are often asked how to control feed costs, including the cost of feeding dairy heifers. According to a 2013 University of Wisconsin-Extension survey, the average feed cost of a dairy heifer from weaning to calving is $1.71

Regional Calf Report: Great Britain – Jerry Ruetten, Vita Plus

Posted on December 21, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
On a recent trip to Great Britain, I had the opportunity to visit a few dairy farms and learn about their youngstock programs. All of the calves I saw were housed on bedding packs in loose housing with open sidewall buildings.
By Jerry Ruetten, Vita Plus Dodgeville dairy specialist On a recent visit to Great Britain, I had the opportunity to tour a few dairy farms. The first thing that struck me was the age of the farms; not the buildings themselves, but the family generations that have farmed these areas.  Some knew the history back

Lessons Learned: Hall’s Calf Ranch One Year After Expansion

Posted on August 27, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator J Hall of Hall’s Calf Ranch began his business by raising 12 calves behind his house.  That picture is a bit different today. Hall’s Calf Ranch in Kewaunee, Wisconsin is now home to 5,000 calves in hutches and another 2,200 weaned calves in barns.  Most arrive at

Regional Calf Report: Ohio – Dr. Andy Kniesly, Vita Plus

Posted on April 28, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Dr. Andy Kniesly, Vita Plus dairy consutlant Here in Northeast Ohio, as milk prices have fallen, we are reviewing all areas of the farm to find opportunities to optimize production strategies. One area that is often reviewed is the replacement heifers. Heifers are the future of our herds, so we want to raise them

Beyond the Barn: Adding Value to the Milk Check at the Center for Dairy Research

Posted on February 26, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Milk is delivered to Babcock Hall from area farms as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus farm. The UW Food Science Department bottles milk and makes cheese and ice cream at Babcock Hall. The Center for Dairy Research (CDR) shares space and milk with that department.
For 27 years, the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) has developed innovative strategies to move milk – and its many components – up the value chain. “Our goal is to ultimately help the dairy farmer,” said Dean Sommer, CDR cheese and food technologist. CDR focuses on research, training, outreach and product development in many areas

Dr. Sam Barringer, Merck Animal Health – New Technology Applied Sensibly in Calf Raising

Posted on July 2, 2014 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman U.S. Army and Air Force member Dr. Sam Barringer, DVM, has served our country overseas, but on U.S. soil, he is leading a mission to raise healthier calves. The dairy technical service team member with Merck Animal Health compares designing a successful calf-raising system to his work setting

Beyond the Barn: Employee Empowerment Through the Understanding of Hispanic Culture – Vita Plus Dairy Summit

Posted on February 28, 2014 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Panelists: (left to right) Cody Heller, Heller Farms; Ignacio Escamilla, Heller Farms; and Vicente Ramirez, T&K Red River Dairy By Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman Taking the time to understand the culture of Hispanic employees can build loyalty and cut down on costly turnover. During the Vita Plus Dairy Summit, Cody Heller, Cows R Us Consulting

Beyond the Barn: High-functioning Teams Drive Today’s Top Dairies – Peter Coyne, Vita Plus

Posted on December 20, 2013 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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By Peter Coyne, Vita Plus dairy field service specialist Many people who work with cows and calves on a daily basis have a solid understanding of animal behavior.  They are fairly predictable. What about the people you work with? Today, dairies of all sizes depend on teams of people who work together to accomplish the

Beyond the Barn: Healthy Culture Drives Business Success – Jon Wilcox

Posted on June 26, 2013 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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By Jon Wilcox, Vita Plus western region dairy team sales manager A family with energetic boys raised cattle on a hobby farm. A well-intentioned neighbor, with decades of experience in cattle production, was critical of the “results” he saw and often shared his wisdom. One evening, as the neighbor was chastising the father, the mother

Genomics: A Long-term Investment in Your Dairy’s Performance – Cheryl Marti, Zoetis

Posted on April 10, 2013 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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Genomics has become a hot topic of discussion on today’s dairy farms as producers look for innovative solutions to maximize performance and improve profitability in their herds. Cheryl Marti, dairy production specialist with Zoetis, said this new technology can be worth the investment on well managed farms.  She said Zoetis views genetic improvement as an

Don’t Lose Money With Too Many Replacements – Randy Greenfield

Posted on December 26, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
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By Randy Greenfield, Vita Plus dairy specialist Is your heifer-raising operation a profitable one?  How many heifers do you need to support your dairy herd’s turnover rate?  Should you consider culling some of your youngstock? If you are a Midwestern dairy producer, you’ve probably asked these questions recently. Historically, dairy producers have striven to maximize

Regional Calf Report: Southern Illinois

Posted on November 13, 2012 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Sean Sherrod, dairy and beef consultant For calf raisers here in southern Illinois, the summer’s drought has had a big impact on autumn management decisions. In this part of the Midwest, seasonal calving is common, especially on dairies with fewer than 300 cows. It’s simply too hot to have those calvings during the summer,