Virtual Farm Tour: McAllister Family Dairy

Posted on August 4, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
The owners of McAllister Family Dairy in New Vienna, Iowa, wanted to build a new calf care facility that could provide the best environment possible for raising healthy calves. When designing the facility, they focused on excellent ventilation and labor efficiency. In early 2022, calves moved into the new barn, which has space for 98 pre- and post-weaned calves. The farm managers are pleased with how the facility has met their goals in the last 18 months.

Feeding colostrum: Esophageal tubes versus bottles

Posted on August 4, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D. | Both science and field work demonstrate that getting colostrum into calves within 2 hours of birth is a key part of ensuring adequate passive transfer of immunity. However, I often hear disputes on-farm on the best method for approaching this timely feeding. Is it better to feed colostrum via a bottle or esophageal feeder?

Whole milk versus milk replacer

Posted on August 4, 2023 in Animal health
By Lucas Mitchell, Ph.D., | We frequently compare whole milk and milk replacer when discussing dairy calf nutrition.  It is difficult to offer sound advice or make appropriate decisions on which liquid diet to offer calves unless we understand how they are different.  It also is critical for understanding the different challenges that may occur with each feeding program.

Nutraceutical approach to pathogen control

Posted on August 4, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Noah Litherland, Ph.D. | Nutraceuticals are feed ingredients that have medicinal benefits such as supporting the immune system.  In youngstock diets, nutritionists look for ingredients that increase intestinal integrity, prevent leaky gut, and reduce the risk of excessive inflammation.

Virtual Farm Tour: Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, LLC

Posted on April 26, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Between 20 and 40 calves are born each day at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, LLC in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. With exceptional animal care as a top priority on the farm, the team continually looks for opportunities to learn, evolve, and adopt new strategies to minimize stress – both for the animals and the employees – during each calving.

Video: Calf chat with Noah: What does a calf smell?

Posted on April 25, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Calf Chat, Noah Litherland, Ph.D., explains how olfaction can impact calves' reactions to their feed and environment.

What does weather do to your calves?

Posted on April 24, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D., Vita Plus | Weather impacts a calf's environment as well as the nutrition and management strategies needed to maintain health and performance.

Expert’s Corner: The nutrients in your calf starter

Posted on April 24, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Lucas Mitchell, Ph.D., Vita Plus | Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water are all absolutely necessary to produce a high-quality calf starter. Let’s explore the functions of these nutrients – and their inclusion in calf starter - in more detail.

Calf care checklist: Choosing between bottles and pails

Posted on April 24, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus | “Should I feed milk in bottles or pails?” The most honest answer is that I don’t care as long as it’s clean. This topic has long been debated and yet the body of research does not indicate clear superiority of one feeding method versus the other.  Bottles and pails each have their pros and cons.  Like so many things, the best fit depends on your farm’s unique facilities and management.

Calf care checklist: 5 tips for winter management

Posted on January 24, 2023 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D. | Of all the animals on your dairy farm, calves are the most susceptible to cold stress and require the most attention when facing winter weather. Fortunately, these tools can help you efficiently and strategically keep calves warm throughout the winter months.

Calf care checklist: 5 steps to stay ahead of a colostrum slump

Posted on October 19, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Dr. Bethany Dado-Senn | If your farm has a seasonal decrease in colostrum production across the late-fall and early-winter months, the following proactive steps can help you maintain a constant supply of high-quality colostrum for your valuable replacement herd.

Veterinarian’s corner: Dairy beef respiratory vaccine strategies

Posted on October 19, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Dr. Trey Gellert | One-day-old dairy beef calves need to be set up for long-term success. Starting these calves with the end goal in mind will lead to mutually beneficial relationship for the producer and calf. In this second article of a two-part series on vaccinations, we discuss dairy beef respiratory vaccine protocols.

VIDEO: Calf chat with Lucas – 3 critical components of fly control

Posted on July 28, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Calf Chat, Dr. Lucas Mitchell shares the three critical components of an integrated pest management (IPM) plan to reduce flies - and the stress and disease they can cause - in your youngstock operation.

Expert’s corner: Mitigating heat stress in youngstock

Posted on July 28, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Dr. Bethany Dado-Senn | The latest concern and next frontier for dairy cattle environmental management is the mitigation of heat stress in youngstock. This has been particularly apparent the past few weeks as most of the Midwest has seen multiple heat waves. If you’re looking to provide heat stress abatement to your calves or heifers, here are a few options you might consider.

Prevent the challenging heifer cycle (part 2)

Posted on July 27, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Dr. Noah Litherland | A challenging heifer cycle occurs when a portion of the heifer development phase does not go as planned and results in heifers that have lower-than-expected rates of growth, lung consolidation, or increased rate of non-completion of first lactation. The net result is often a reduced return on investment from the heifer program. This article, the second in a two-part series, discuss the impacts of management, labor and facilities.

Calf chat with Ann (video): What affects passive transfer?

Posted on April 13, 2022 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition, Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf program manager, discusses the factors that affect passive transfer beyond how much IgG is fed to the calf.