Farm tours

Before they installed autofeeders in the calf barns at Minglewood, Inc., Kristin Quist, calf manager, said the team used to spend 16 hours a day feeding calves three times a day. Now, Quist invests eight hours a day and has more flexibility in the schedule to dedicate time to other areas of the dairy.

As you walk through the calf-raising facilities at Ruedinger Farms, Inc. in Van Dyne, Wisconsin, you notice calf care protocols clearly written and posted in each building. This is just one of the tools the team uses to consistently raise quality replacement heifers.

Stacy Jauquet owns and operates Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, with her husband, Dave. The team knows what it takes to raise healthy calves, and that's why Stacy is proud to work alongside her calf team to train them on her expectations for excellent calf care.

The chore list on a dairy farm is seemingly endless and everchanging, yet cows and calves do best with consistent care. The team at Dolph Dairy LLC in Lake Mills, Wisconsin has designed a system that gives each fresh cow, newborn, and preweaned calf the attention and consistency needed to thrive.

When the team at Hasel Farms was researching autofeeders in 2010, they had to travel more than 200 miles to tour facilities because the technology was so new.  However, the opportunity to reduce labor demands made the decision easy and the Hasels moved calves into their own autofeeder barn in October 2011.

The team at River Crest Dairy, LLC in Greenwood, Wisconsin knew they could improve calf performance with better ventilation and housing. In the fall of 2017, nursery calves and preweaned heifers moved into a new custom-designed barn, and the team couldn't be happier with the results they've seen so far.

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.

Dairy farming is a passion for the Luchterhand family of Elm-Roc Dairy near Loyal, Wisconsin, and the showring is the place they share that passion with others. 

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.

The first Virtual Farm Tour hit inboxes in 2010 and featured City Slickers Farm, LLC.  While the commitment to excellent calf care remains the cornerstone of the farm, the scope of their operation has changed considerably.

Heidi Fischer and the team at Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm, Inc. in Hatley, Wisconsin had plans to build a new autofeeder calf barn, but they chose to modify the current barn to house four rows of individual pens instead.  They now focus on organization and communication to successfully grow healthy calves. 

We're pleased to introduce Sara Schilling and the Schilling Farms dairy team in Darlington, Wisconsin.  Throughout 2018, Sara will share her calf program and experiences with us.

Rachelle Krienke has two major goals for her calves:  She wants them to be as healthy as possible and she wants to see good body condition at weaning.  She has designed a system that allows her to consistently reach both goals for her farm’s replacement heifers.

With Jonathon Hallock, MarBec Dairy
Jonathon Hallock, MarBec Dairy, shares some of the features of his recently completed calf barn addition as well as some of the challenges he encountered through the process.  Thank you to Jonathon for sharing his farm and calf raising strategies with us throughout 2017. 

Since installing autofeeders in 2015, JDR Farms, LLC in Marlette, Michigan has enjoyed a more flexible chore schedule.  But the team still makes sure they invest the time each day to observe calves and clean equipment to consistently raise healthy calves.

Healthy cows make healthy calves at Pfaffsway Farms
Raising strong, healthy calves doesn’t start on day one at Pfaffsway Farms in Alma Center, Wisconsin.  According to the Pfaff family, it starts a long time before then.