Starting Strong – Calf Care

By Alex Geiser, Vita Plus dairy specialist Summer in northeast Wisconsin was cool to say the least.  I can recall only one day in which the temperatures reached 90 degrees F, which means we had minimal heat stress in the area. To contrast, we had many days when the high and low temperatures varied by

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Dr. Noah Litherland describes the challenge of low colostrum yields typically observed in the autumn months. He also shares tips for measuring colostrum quality and managing your colostrum program.  Visit our YouTube channel for more Calf Chat segments.

Unless you just moved calves to new housing, you probably haven’t given a lot of thought to bucket holders.  Yet, this small piece of equipment can have a big impact on your operation.  Do your holders meet the following four qualifications? A bucket holder must stay in place and hold the pails. The holder must

As signs of fall creep into our weather patterns, safety in the sun should still be a major priority when working outdoors.  This is especially true as you put in longer hours during the upcoming harvest and as you prepare your facilities for winter. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Last winter taught us many things and hopefully some of those lessons will make us better calf raisers. What can you do to protect those newborn calves? Quickly drying the newborn calf is so important.  Remove the calf from the maternity area in a clean cart or

By Emma Waterworth, Vita Plus Fall River grain marketing intern You know quality calf feed is vital to the health and development of a growing calf, but what makes a quality feed? A good pelleted calf starter or grower consists of clean grains and a good, hard pellet.  Several factors to consider while assessing grain

By Dr. Emily Schier, Lena Veterinary Clinic When you look out into your calf pens, do you feel like you are just running into problems? Does it feel like everything is jetting out of control?  Can you just see the money hemorrhaging out of your pockets? Well, it could be that your scouring problems are

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist Question:  I've heard arguments on both sides.  Which is better?  Texturized or pelleted starter feeds? A:  Since the early 1930s, researchers have evaluated the impact of calf starter grain formulation and physical form (texturized versus pelleted) on dry matter intake and calf growth.  There is

By Brittany Stewart, Vita Plus Dodgeville dairy specialist Here in southwest Wisconsin, the hot summer weather finally showed up, but the cooler summer months have brought on a few challenges. Although spring came late this year, fly control was still a high priority. Fly control is key to keeping  calves comfortable and reducing the incidence

In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Danae Stieglitz of Stieglitz Dairy LLC talks about training employees on proper calf care.  By doing so, Danae ensures newborn calves receive ultimate care from all employees, regardless of whether she is there or not.  A big thank you to

Sponem Valley View Dairy, LLC Makes Gradual Changes to Growing Family Farm Steve Sponem grew up on his parents’ dairy farm in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.  At the time he and his now wife, Karen, started dating, the 30 heifer calves born per year did very well in their group pens in the milking barn. But

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Dr. Noah Litherland describes the "magical" effects starter intake can have on calf health and performance.  He shares five factors that affect intakes as well as three tips to boost intakes in your calves.  Visit our YouTube channel for more Calf Chat segments.

Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman Iowa farm woman and professional speaker Jolene Brown finds humor in just about every situation … even backing the pickup truck into the grain bin. At the Vita Plus Calf Summit, Brown reminded attendees that laughter is not only the key for finding personal happiness, but also for

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker Learning to manage your own farm business can be tricky. The last thing you want to be frustrated with is your employees.  John Pagel of Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy LLC knows firsthand the struggle of dealing with employees, as he employs 120 on his own

Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman U.S. Army and Air Force member Dr. Sam Barringer, DVM, has served our country overseas, but on U.S. soil, he is leading a mission to raise healthier calves. The dairy technical service team member with Merck Animal Health compares designing a successful calf-raising system to his work setting

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker Most calf raisers have three primary goals, according to Dr. Stephen Hayes with Day 1 Technology. These three goals are: to keep calves alive, to keep calves healthy, and to keep calves growing. Based on these goals, Hayes came up with four gizmos to