Posted on June 29th, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
By Progressive Dairyman Editor Peggy Coffeen In the past few decades, North Florida Holsteins has figured out how to achieve more than 90 pounds of milk per day in an environment where extreme heat stress is the norm.
Posted on April 27th, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Schmitz Family Builds on Generations of Hard Work Driving down a state highway in Bruce, Wisconsin, you’ll see an old dairy barn that has clearly weathered a lot of years. On the opposite side, you’ll see a much larger freestall barn surrounded by construction materials. A new addition on the freestall is near completion and much needed after the farm grew from 750 to 900 cows in the last year.
Posted on April 27th, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Stacy Jauquet of Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC explains the tools she uses to test total serum proteins and evaluate success of passive transfer. This helps her gauge how well her colostrum program is managed.
Posted on February 17th, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Autofeeder Barn Boosts Calf Performance and Environment Although this winter has been an exception, below-zero temperatures and lots of snow are standard conditions for many days in northern Wisconsin. Two years ago, during and especially harsh season, Carla Juedes said she would “never, ever again” go through a winter of raising calves in hutches.
Posted on February 17th, 2016 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Stacy Jauquet of Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC walks us through her process for cleaning and sanitizing calf feeding equipment and facilities. She uses an ATP meter quarterly to make sure she and her team are staying on top of their cleaning protocols.
Posted on December 21st, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Stacy Jauquet of Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC shares the tools she uses to care for her calves in the winter months. She also explains her winter feeding program and her simple strategy for delivering the correct amount of milk to each calf. Visit our YouTube channel for more A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser segments.
Posted on December 21st, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Mar-Bec Dairy Builds Excellence for the Next Generation
Jonathon Hallock doesn’t have the typical “farm kid story” of spending every day in the barn with his parents. In fact, farm chores weren’t even an option unless all of his homework and other school commitments were completed first.
But that didn’t limit any of his passion for farming and today he’s putting it to good use as he takes on more leadership at Mar-Bec Dairy in Mondovi, Wisconsin.
Posted on October 28th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
We are excited to introduce you to Stacy Jauquet of Jauquet's Hillview Dairy in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. For the next year, Stacy will give you an inside look at her calf program and the strategies she's learned to raise healthy, strong calves. In this edition, Stacy share's the details on her maternity protocols.
Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.
Posted on October 28th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Autofeeders Help Calves Reach Genetic Potential The team at Creamery Creek Holsteins LLC in Bangor, Wisconsin continually keeps an eye on emerging technologies to optimize performance on the 700-cow dairy. So, as automatic calf feeders gained a foothold in the U.S. marketplace, manager Justin Peterson researched and adopted the technology for his calf operation.
Prior to installing the autofeeders almost two years ago, all of the farm’s calves were fed in hutches. Peterson said the Wisconsin winters were tough on...
Posted on August 27th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In her final edition of Starting Strong, Katie Grinstead of Vir-Clar Farms in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin shares the things her team does to keep calves cool and healthy through the summer heat. A big thank you to Katie for sharing her expertise and experiences with us this past year!
Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.
Posted on August 27th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Focus on Calf Care Basics Key to Hilltop Dairy’s Growth and Success
Hilltop Dairy LLC in Waupun, Wisconsin continually strives to reach new goals, whether it’s through the farm’s strong genetics program or milk production. In fact, the 1,200-cow dairy recently achieved a new milestone in producing an average of 100,000 pounds of milk per day.
The dairy is owned and operated by brothers Cal and Rich Greenfield and Rich’s son, Loren. They attribute their success not only to great...
Posted on June 25th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Starting Strong, Katie Grinstead of Vir-Clar Farms in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin walks us through her nutrition and management program for weaned calves.
Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.
Posted on June 25th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Focus on Protocols Keeps Family on Same Page Bill and Lisa Holland have farmed 37 years in Apple River, Illinois. They started the operation with hogs and cows, but transitioned to exclusively cattle within the first few years. Today, four of their five children play an active role on the family farm as they milk about 300 cows and raise feeder steers.
Their daughter, Megan, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville last year. She majored in animal science with an...
Posted on April 28th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Starting Strong, Katie Grinstead of Vir-Clar Farms in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin talks about all the little tricks her team uses to more easily and efficiently raise calves, including sanitation, recordkeeping, and feeding strategies.
Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.
Posted on April 28th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
Customize Facilities for Success If you were to tour Ostrowski Farms’ calf facilities, you might think you’re looking at a calf raiser’s dream. That opinion isn’t too far from reality.
Ostrowski Farms, Inc. is owned and operated by two brothers, Greg and Dick Ostrowski, in Eland, Wisconsin. Greg’s two sons as well as Dick’s son and son-in-law are also a part of the farming business. Started by Greg and Dick’s father, the farm has grown to its current size of...
Posted on February 26th, 2015 in Starting Strong - Calf Care
In this edition of Starting Strong, Katie Grinstead of Vir-Clar Farms in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin walks us through her newborn calf facilities and protocols. Cleanliness and colostrum are two major priorities for Katie.
Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.