Starting Strong – Calf Care

Each farm is unique.  Each farmer’s road to success differs from another.  But, amongst these differences, one core concept remains true:  Values are the foundation of farming. As a farmer or agriculturist, every conversation you have about your values and how they affect your actions is a step forward in earning consumer trust and continuing

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Respiratory disease is the second leading cause of mortality in calves under six months of age. In addition to death loss, respiratory disease negatively impacts other economic factors, including high treatment costs, reduced growth rate, delayed calving and increased culling. Symptoms often include a temperature higher than

By Randy Greenfield, Vita Plus dairy specialist Is your heifer-raising operation a profitable one?  How many heifers do you need to support your dairy herd’s turnover rate?  Should you consider culling some of your youngstock? If you are a Midwestern dairy producer, you’ve probably asked these questions recently. Historically, dairy producers have striven to maximize

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Ann reminds us that winter is here and that means we need to take another look at our winter calf protocols, including nutrition, bedding, snow removal and calf jackets.

By Dr. Laurie Winkelman, Vita Plus dairy nutritionist and technical services specialist Calves are born into this world without immunity or the ability to fight off pathogens and infections.  Unlike humans, the cow’s placenta does not allow antibodies to transfer from cow to calf.  High quality colostrum is the only way to prepare these newborns

By Dr. Owen Mickley, DVM, Vita Plus dairy specialist Q:  We have been looking at using a calf warmer for our newborns.  What are the pros and cons? A:  Calf warming boxes provide an opportunity to enhance the first few critical hours in a calf’s life.  The major benefit of preventing the calf from losing

By John Brantsen, Vita Plus dairy specialist December 2012 has brought us some extreme variation in temperatures in northwest Iowa. On December 2, we reached a high temperature of 61 degrees.  On December 10, a little more than a week later, we saw a low temperature of -2 degrees.  Four days later, we were back

In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Brooke Carrow teams up with her dad, Ron Miller, to talk about the relationship they have with their heifer grower.  A strong newborn program, good recordkeeping and pay-per-pound system lead to high-quality heifers at Enchanted Dairy.

Building the Right Fit at Sunburst Dairy Sixteen years ago, Brian and Yogi Brown of Sunburst Dairy in Belleville, Wis. decided to give up their old stanchion barn and expand to a freestall barn and parlor.  The fresh start grew their herd to 300 cows and allowed them to hire employees.  This was important as

 In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Brooke Carrow shares what Enchanted Dairy in Little Falls, Minn. does to prepare for the winter months, including everything from bedding to colostrum storage.

By Sean Sherrod, dairy and beef consultant For calf raisers here in southern Illinois, the summer’s drought has had a big impact on autumn management decisions. In this part of the Midwest, seasonal calving is common, especially on dairies with fewer than 300 cows. It’s simply too hot to have those calvings during the summer,

Dr. Owen Mickley, DVM, works as a dairy specialist in eastern Ohio. Prior to joining Vita Plus, Mickley served as a practicing veterinarian in New York and Ohio for three years. Q: Lately I have noticed an increase of navel infections, ear tag infections and joint swelling on our farm and this seems to happen

By Augusta Hagen, dairy nutrition and management fellow "Johne's disease has gone from a disease nonexistent in the USA (prior to 1908) to one that affects well over half of U.S. dairy herds," says Dr. Mike Collins with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Johne's is caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and is a

Molds – more specifically the mycotoxins they produce – can have a significant impact on dairy cattle performance, especially in young calves. That’s because rumen microorganisms in adult dairy cattle act to break down certain mycotoxins, making them less harmful to the animal. Young calves with undeveloped rumens don’t have that line of protection. This

By Ann Hoskins, calf products coordinator As we talked about in Calf Chat, it’s time to get out your winter gear and re-establish your winter protocols. Although we’re a few weeks away from implementing all of the winter protocols, temperatures are dropping fast and it’s better to be ready than scramble at the last minute.

By Gary Sipiorski, dairy development manager It was Henry Ford who invented the idea of the assembly line to build automobiles. He got the idea from observing the disassembly of beef carcasses in a slaughter plant. Cars in the early 1900s were built one at time from start to finish - a very slow and