In the current economic state of the industry, there is an understandable need to hunker down and tread water until milk prices and margins start trending in a positive direction.

From the perspective of an A.I. company, the strategic breeding and genetic decisions you make today have a huge impact on the profitability and bottom line of your future milking herd. However, it’s important to remember that the only way to realize the maximum benefits and effects of the genetics you use is to maintain top-notch, progressive, strategic management practices.

The ability to actively choose the gender of the calf to be born is now a reality on dairy farms. Indeed, the last 10 years have seen rapid evolution in semen-sexing technologies.

When Robert Gervais, founder of Gervais Family Farm in Bakersfield, Vermont, bought the original farm in 1960, his wife, Gisele, was seven months pregnant and he had to borrow $10 for the lawyer’s fee and a down payment on the then-220-acre, 35-cow tiestall dairy.

While sexed semen is often cited as the reason for the increased number of available dairy replacement heifers, another factor is helping create a larger pool of next-generation milk producers: U.S. dairy farmers are doing a better job keeping heifer calves alive and getting them off to a healthy start.

The latest USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) study results show dairy producers are doing a better job of colostrum management (see related story NAHMS Diary 2014: Producers making progress on pre-weaned calf management).

Editor’s note: This article is part two in a three-part series on evaluating your hygiene protocols. Visit Are you saving money with hygiene? to read part one and Are your calves secure? 7 ways to make it so to read part three.  It has been said, cleanliness is next to godliness. Nowhere on a dairy is this saying more true than in the maternity and calf areas. Providing a clean environment for our newborn calves can save us thousands of dollars in future treatments and medical expenses.

The virtues of colostrum in successful calf raising cannot be overemphasized. This “liquid gold” not only delivers critical immune protection but also provides specialized nutrients, energy, fluid and warmth to newborn calves.

Feeding calves is much more than what is in the pail or bottle. The way milk, water and starter are delivered can play just as big of a role in the health and performance of the calf.

In just a few months, the use of medically important feed-grade antibiotics on your dairy will require veterinarian authorization. When the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2017, the classification of these medications will change from over-the-counter status to VFD designation.