Feeding programs for dairy calves vary widely between farms today, influencing both the behavior and performance of the calf early in life and potentially having longer-term effects on the growing heifer.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is commonly observed in dairy calves and has both acute and long-term effects on the performance of those calves. This disease is the most common and costly disease affecting the North American cattle industry. The key to preventing respiratory disease is to reduce stress and vaccinate animals against viruses and bacteria that cause disease.

A piece of equipment that is not maintained properly is probably costing its owner in loss of production. With a compost turner, the consequences can also extend to the end product. Compost that is not turned when needed suffers, and if it continues to go unturned, that compost becomes worthless.

“You put a suit on a monkey – and it’s still a suit,” I’ve always said. Usually the other person would try to correct me and suggest that I’ve switched the expression, that it’s “still a monkey.” “No,” I would reply. “It’s my belief that it’s OK to be a monkey. It’s the suit that should be called into question.”

With nutrient pollution and water quality issues gaining attention in the media, as well as rising costs of fertilizers, retaining nutrients from fall manure is both economically advantageous and environmentally imperative.