Starting Strong – Calf Care

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Ann explains the basics of a higher plane of nutrition and how essential these feeding programs have been during this winter's frigid temperatures.  Visit our YouTube channel for more Calf Chat segments.

Do you only have one calf feeder on your farm?  Are you looking for a quick and easy way to feed pasteurized waste milk or milk replacer to your calves?  Danae Stieglitz of Stieglitz Dairy LLC has a creative strategy that just might work for you.  Visit our YouTube channel for more Calf Care Quick

By Peter Coyne, Vita Plus dairy field service specialist Many people who work with cows and calves on a daily basis have a solid understanding of animal behavior.  They are fairly predictable. What about the people you work with? Today, dairies of all sizes depend on teams of people who work together to accomplish the

By Cody Yanzick, Vita Plus dairy specialist Let’s say your heifer program is struggling.  Animals are getting bred and entering the milking herd later than they should.  You know you need to make changes, but you’re not sure where to start. The old adage – you can’t manage it if you don’t measure it –

By Dave Wood, director of technical services and sales, Animix, LLC Whole milk fails to meet basic vitamin and trace mineral requirements of the young milk-fed calf. Vitamin and trace mineral levels as reported by the USDA  and calf requirements as reported in the 2001 NRC for dairy cattle show that a gallon of whole

By Dr. Laurie Winkelman, Vita Plus dairy nutritionist and technical services specialist It is no secret that feed costs are, by far, the largest expense on a dairy farm. In a relatively normal population of animals on a farm, about half the animals (the milking cows) are able to pay their own way, while heifers

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Q:  We pasteurize our waste milk from treated and high-somatic-cell-count cows.  I was wondering if milk replacer has a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals compared to pasteurized milk.  If feeding pasteurized milk, do we need to fortify the milk with added vitamins and minerals for the

By Mike Richter, Vita Plus dairy specialist Northern Wisconsin has a fair share of snow already.  This is a good time to catch up on fall deworming of youngstock if you were caught in the busyness of this year’s unusual harvest. Many producers in our area turn their older calves and heifers out onto the

In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Danae Stieglitz of Stieglitz Dairy LLC shares the resources she uses to build her calf expertise and discover new technologies for the farm.  Visit our YouTube channel for other A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser segments.

Wegnerlann Dairy Build Success on Detailed Attention to Calves After 34 years of dairy farming, Betty Wegner has learned a lot about what it takes to raise healthy calves.  The most important step:  spend time with each calf every day.  Although it seems simple, this kind of detailed attention is what has built Wegnerlann Dairy’s

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Ann takes us on a shopping trip to share her favorite items for dealing with cold and wet winter weather.  Thanks to our friends at Blain's Farm & Fleet for hosting us.  Visit our YouTube channel for more Calf Chat segments.

Sometimes you have a calf that needs a little less milk or just some extra attention.  When that happens, how do you keep track of her?  Here’s an easy solution: Use an alternative-colored pail for the calf while she needs the extra love. Once she is being fed like the rest or is back to

By Kim Bremmer, Vita Plus Loyal dairy specialist After working with family farms for more than a decade, I truly believe nothing is more rewarding than building a business with your family.  However, it can also be one of the most challenging things you will ever do.  It’s hard enough to wear a “parent” hat,

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Waste milk and colostrum pasteurizers are now standard equipment on many of today’s calf operations. While feeding pasteurized waste milk and colostrum can have many benefits, it can also create a lot of problems if the units are not maintained. I often see pasteurizers work well for

With Dr. Mark Sosalla, Country Hills Animal Health Calves are born with virtually no immune system, making them extremely susceptible to infections and illness. According to Dr. Mark Sosalla, two key factors can help keep calves healthy:  colostrum and navel dipping. Sosalla is a veterinarian with Country Hills Animal Health in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 

With Floyd Sutton, Zinpro Imagine you have a three-year-old daughter.  Up to this point, you’ve done your absolute best to provide her with a healthy diet.  You make sure she eats a balance of dairy foods, meats, fruits, vegetables and nutritious grains. Now, you’re going to switch her to a diet of donuts and candy