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

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.

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

Many calf programs have begun feeding to a higher plane of nutrition. While this can prove valuable in terms of calf performance, several constraints can hinder these kinds of milk feeding programs. Dr. Noah Litherland shares several tips to best manage your milk feeding strategy. Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of Starting Strong

Do you ever struggle to find “that” calf in the sea of hutches?  Do you need a place to write a note to the afternoon feeder? It is really important to organize and find animals quickly. Designing a “calf map” will help everyone on your team. Key Information to include with the map are items

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

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist As February draws to a close, we’re optimistic that warmer spring months are just around the corner.  But, realistically, we may still deal with a few more weeks of winter.  Here’s a quick reminder of the top calf needs in cool weather: Haircoat The calf’s

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist When walking through calf barns and hutches during the winter, it is somewhat difficult to differentiate sickness behavior from cold stress behavior.  Interestingly, calf behaviors are quite similar when they are struggling with a disease challenge and when they are battling cold weather.  In young

By Sonia Gelsinger, Pennsylvania State University Ph.D. student We all know how important a balanced ration is for maintaining cow health and optimizing milk production. High quality nutrition is equally important for the calves that will eventually become part of the lactating herd. The gut of a young calf is still developing, so it requires

By Dr. Kevin Ratka, Vita Plus dairy technical sales specialist, and Dr. Owen Mickley, dairy specialist Question:  My herd has a high prevalence of Johne’s, so we've been using the Johne's vaccine in our herd.  Will that affect our ability to feed colostrum and milk to calves?  A:  For several reasons, Johne’s disease is very

By Dr. Kevin Ratka, Vita Plus dairy technical sales specialist Precision dairy is a buzz word in our industry.  With all the new technological advancements becoming available, producers can generate more data and information than ever.  This allows them to make better, more informed decisions to improve the profitability of their operations. I recently began

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.

UW-Madison Dairy Farm Sets Practical Example for Calf Care If you’ve never visited a university research farm, you might envision state-of-the-art equipment and extreme precision in every task.  While that holds true in some respects – especially with certain research trials – the university farm does not greatly differ from the average dairy. The Emmons

Calf jackets are an easy way to help young animals take on cold weather.  Correctly fitting and adjusting these jackets is key to animal comfort and jacket effectiveness.  In this edition of Calf Chat, Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator, walks through the basic steps of selecting and fitting a calf jacket.  Special thanks

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Every calf raiser has had that calf that is not quite ready to move to the next phase. What do you do with her? Do you still take her with the group?  In some cases, that may be fine, but, in other cases, she might fall behind

By Shawn Miller, Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy calf manager My iPad has become one of the most important tools I use in raising calves.  Here are five apps I wouldn’t give up: WeatherBug This app tracks the daily weather and future forecast.  I use it to prepare for the weather and know how to adjust the