With the ever-changing value of both replacement heifers and beef-on-dairy crosses at the front of many producers’ minds, optimizing inventory of both streams of calves has become a crucial element of producer strategy. Effectively managing the interplay of the two begins in the dry cow pens.

In 2014, a bold vision took shape in Blairstown, Iowa, to build a dairy farm with the goal of creating a modern, efficient cow capable of excelling in freestall environments with few health issues and high feed efficiency. That idea became GenoSource LLC, which stands as a testament to vision, persistence and the power of collaboration.

Many dairy operations are reexamining their maternity barns and calf holding areas. In this article, we will explore five benefits of modernizing these facilities and the positive outcome improvements can bring for both your calves and your entire dairy operation.

What’s normal for beef cattle? The pastoral scene is common in many beef cattle systems in the eastern U.S. Calving occurs outdoors, where the air is fresh and the environment is clean. What is the message for dairy, and can we do better? What are the focus areas we should consider?

Seeing beef cow-calf pairs on pasture caused me to consider how we have raised dairy calves. Granted, most of our commercial dairy management systems don’t allow this kind of environment for the cow and her newborn calf, but what can be done to make our systems better?

A new computer vision skill from developer Ever.Ag aims to give more dairy producers a way to get their feet wet with computer vision technology. The company’s new product, Maternity Warden, watches cows in the maternity pen for signs of calving and sends alerts when it detects them so employees can move the cow to a calving pen for just-in-time calving.

Giving calves a good start can be expensive. However, not investing in your calf operation can cost you in the parlor. Too many dairies chase after pennies of efficiency on the cow side but trip over dollars of missed opportunities in their calf program.

Salmonella are very contagious and pathogenic bacteria that can cause high mortality and economic losses in cattle. Salmonella Dublin (S. Dublin) is a specific kind of salmonella, known as a serotype, that is host-adapted to bovine.

If you are consistently having problems with your calves, consider having a third party complete a calf hygiene audit and ask about using an ATP meter.