VIDEO: Calf Chat with Ann – Barn-building Questions

Posted on June 3, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Are you considering remodeling or building new calf facilities? In this edition of Calf Chat, Ann Hoskins provides initial questions to consider as you decide what facilities best fit your operation.

Calf Care Checklist: Calf Barn Ventilation

Posted on June 3, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products manager
The key to a good calf barn ventilation audit is to evaluate the air quality in many different scenarios. Weather can change the calf environment quickly. Monitoring air should be part of your daily checklist.

This Makes My Life Easier: Newborn Calf Warming Room

Posted on June 3, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

This past winter, the team at Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, completed an addition on its cross-ventilated barn.  The addition, which is next to the maternity pens, includes two heated newborn calf warming rooms.

Virtual Farm Tour: Shiloh Dairy LLC

Posted on March 3, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Transition to the next generation can bring about a lot of change and disruption to a farm’s day-to-day operations. However, the Speirs family of Shiloh Dairy LLC in Brillion, Wisconsin, has made it a smooth process by focusing on consistent animal care and continual improvement. 

Calf Care Checklist: 8 Key Features of Newborn Calf Pens

Posted on March 2, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist
Calf care during the first 24 hours after birth has a significant impact on calf performance during the nursery phase and beyond. Make sure you also provide calf pens with these eight key attributes to give your calves the start they need.

Virtual Farm Tour: Gar-Lin Dairy LLC

Posted on January 28, 2021 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Dana Allen-Tully, partner and dairy operations manager at Gar-Lin Dairy LLC in Eyota, Minnesota, was looking to design new calf facilities. She recognized the workforce was changing and wanted facilities that provided a nice work environment for employees that also allowed for workflow efficiency. Autofeeders seemed like the right fit and construction on a new barn was completed in October 2016.

Virtual Farm Tour: Birchen Farms Inc.

Posted on November 23, 2020 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Raising calves in group housing continues to gain interest among both dairy producers and researchers. The team at Birchen Farms Inc. in Pearl City, Illinois, has successfully raised calves in group housing for about 16 years. While their calf and heifer program differs from many Midwest farms, they consistently raise strong and healthy replacements for the herd.

Virtual Farm Tour: Hilltop Dairy LLC

Posted on September 18, 2020 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

When the team at Hilltop Dairy LLC in Markesan, Wisconsin, decided to build a new calf barn five years ago, they didn’t rush the process and, instead, invested a lot of time into touring and researching barns to design a facility that best fit the farm.

VIDEO: A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser – Summer Calf Management Protocols

Posted on July 28, 2020 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

In this edition of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Jill Houin walks through Homestead Dairy's summer calf management protocols and how the farm combats heat stress.

Virtual Farm Tour: Sunrise Dairy LLC

Posted on January 28, 2020 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

The calf program at Sunrise Dairy LLC in Suring, Wisconsin, has changed a lot in the 10 years Kayla Hischke has managed the youngstock program. From housing young calves in a calf barn instead of the dairy's old stone barn, to sending heifers to a Nebraskan custom raiser, the team has found ways to innovate and raise calves throughout the changes.

Calf Care Checklist: 5 Checkpoints for Summer Ventilation – Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus

Posted on May 17, 2019 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator
Good ventilation can go a long way in promoting calf health, and these five checkpoints can help ensure your ventilation system is ready to meet your calves' needs this summer.

VIDEO: A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser – Meet Heidi Fischer, Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm, Inc.

Posted on March 18, 2019 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

With Heidi Fischer, Fischer-Clark Dairy Farms, Inc.
We're pleased to introduce Heidi Fischer and the Fischer-Clark Dairy team in Hatley, Wisconsin.  Throughout 2019, Heidi will share her calf program and experiences with us. Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.

Veterinarian’s Corner: Manage Calf Barn Ventilation During Temperature Swings – Courtney Halbach, The Dairyland Initiative

Posted on March 18, 2019 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

By Courtney Halbach, The Dairyland Initiative associate outreach specialist
Air quality is important to ensure calf health.  With spring being a tricky time to manage ventilation in calf and heifer barns, use these recommendations to make sure your ventilation systems are ready for the seasons ahead.

Virtual Farm Tour: Loehr Dairy LLC

Posted on October 26, 2018 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Joe Loehr of Loehr Dairy LLC believed he could adjust his pasteurized milk feeding program to improve calf health. As he reached for that goal, he also achieved better efficiency in the total calf raising program.

Wise Investments in Heifer Raising – Cody Yanzick and Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus

Posted on October 24, 2018 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

By Cody Yanzick and Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus
The transition period is often the first time calves are grouped with others. Limiting stress during this period can offer some of the greatest dividends, in terms of health and performance, as heifers enter the milking herd.

Vita Plus Calf Summit Preconference Farm School: Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy

Posted on June 28, 2018 in Starting Strong - Calf Care

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee, Wisconsin is the largest family-owned dairy farm in Wisconsin.  They milk 5,400 cows and raise around 3,300 calves at their calf ranch.  Attendees of the Vita Plus Calf Summit Preconference Farm School had the opportunity to tour different areas of the farm and learn from members of the Pagel's team and other industry experts.