Starting Strong – Calf Care

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

Article written by Macy Sarbacker Positive pressure tube ventilation systems are becoming more and more common, according to Dr. Ken Nordlund with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Tubes are primarily used to supplement natural ventilation in nursing calf barns. “Unlike most ventilation systems, tube systems can be used to put air exactly

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker When it comes to autofeeders, those who have installed the technology on their farms have learned through experience how to best operate them and what they would do differently if given the chance. In the preconference session at Vita Plus Calf Summit 2014, Chad

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman With nearly 90 percent of consumers indicating that animal welfare is a concern, dairy producers must communicate their efforts to uphold the highest standards of care, and an animal welfare audit is one way to achieve this. “With few exceptions, farmers do a

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker Calf raisers can easily pick out major disease threats in their herds, according to Dr. Rob Farruggio of Jefferson Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson, Wisconsin. These known threats include the bacterial and viral causes of both scours and pneumonia. The long-term impact of scours means

Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman When it comes to calving, the biggest question is when to intervene, according to Dr. Harry Momont, DVM, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. How to intervene runs a close second. When to intervene? Momont suggested a structured approach when it comes to deciding whether

Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman Dairy producers are beef producers too, which is why it is important to ensure meat quality by preventing injection site lesions and drug residues. According to Dr. Richard Wallace, DVM, MS, with Zoetis, dairy producers can capture more value for their cull cows by focusing on Beef Quality

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman We often associate the stress of giving birth with how it affects the cow and underestimate the dramatic physiological changes that the calf undergoes, according to Colorado State University’s Dr. Franklyn Garry, DVM, MS. “At birth, the calf faces the biggest challenges

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman When it comes to caring for calves, the options are endless for ingredients and additives that promise to promote health or increase gains, which is why David Wood, Animix, tells dairy producers to choose wisely. When evaluating calf supplements, Wood suggests keeping

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker Precision nutrition is the idea that you treat the calf as an individual, according to Vita Plus Dairy Youngstock Technical Specialist Noah Litherland. If calves are not growing or are losing bodyweight, then the start of first lactation is delayed and potentially compromised. This

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Macy Sarbacker You’ve got a wobbly-legged, newborn heifer calf. She’s still wet and you’re drying her off. What do you know about the kind of cow she’s going to be? Are all calves born with the potential to become great dairy cows? What is the balance