Starting Strong – Calf Care

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator This winter has thrown us many challenges: a lot of snow, rain, huge temperature swings, cold stretches, and on and on. It is easy to think with the recent warmer temperatures we are getting close to the end. Even so, I challenge you to stay the course

With Dr. Amy Stanton, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science assistant professor and animal wellbeing specialist Calf raisers understand the importance of reducing stress to the calf, especially during its first few months of life.  The less energy a calf must spend dealing with stress, the more energy it can put toward healthy development and growth.

By Scott Hall, Vita Plus safety director Farm safety has always been a concern to protect workers and family members. In the past, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has placed most of its energy on construction and general industry. This approach recently changed to place more focus on the smaller employers that may

By Dr. Becky Brotzman, DVM, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine associate outreach specialist Q:  We are considering building a roof over our hutches to keep the area in front of them dry during periods of rain and snow.  Would you recommend this?  A:  Calf hutches are currently the “gold standard” for successful, individual

By Bruce Owens, Vita Plus district sales and marketing manager Like other parts of the Midwest, calf raisers here in Indiana and western Ohio are dealing with a challenging winter.  Temperature swings have been rough on calves this year just like they were last year.  Most of the calves I see are in hutches, so

In this edition of Starting Strong A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Brooke Carrow takes us on a tour of Enchanted Dairy's custom calf raiser's facility and explains the transitions the calves will go through before returning to Enchanted Dairy.

Continual Innovation Takes Farm to the Next Generation Gradual, steady steps forward and openness to new ideas are two of the defining characteristics of Orthridge Jerseys.  The farm, located near Lancaster, Wisconsin, was purchased by Randy and Laura Orth in 1993.  Since then, the farm has expanded to 325 Jersey cows, almost all of which

In this edition of Starting Strong Calf Chat, Ann reminds us that while calves are always a top priority, we need to take care of our people too.  What can you do to boost safety and efficiency and provide a comfortable working environment for your team?

 Shoveling out calf hutches after a big snow storm is never fun.  Here's how you can speed up the snow removal process.

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