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Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series. Calf development is in producers' hands is the second part of this series.
It’s impressive the amount of information we have regarding calves nowadays. Sometimes it seems a difficult task to stay ahead of the different pieces of research constantly being published or discussed in meetings and conferences, and we wonder if even the scientific community has reached an agreement on some aspects of raising dairy calves.
“When it boils down to it, as one veterinarian put it at AABP, ‘Veterinarians have made our living responding to death, disease and destruction.’ We need to change that model,” Jennifer Walker said at the 2015 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar in Red Deer, Alberta.
Quality forage production and purchased feed is the largest single cost on your dairy operation. In many cases, our ability to produce and deliver consistent forages on a daily and yearly basis forecasts the success of our herd’s milk production, reproduction and health performance.
The value of farm machinery in Canada has appreciated by 51 percent over the last 15 years. This appreciation is driven by increases in the amount of equipment on farms and upgrades to existing or new equipment.
Laboratory analyses of feeds provide the best indication of nutrient availability, allowing feeds to be utilized to their full potential. Reliable nutritional information is important to not only balance rations but also allow ration-balancing programs to determine the most economical ration that will meet the animals’ requirements.
When Anton Borst’s parents first moved to Halarda Farms in 1984, they had 100 cows, 400 acres and five children. Today, Anton and his wife, Cheryl, own and run the 800-cow, 4,500-acre and 80-head angus/angus-cross operation in Elm Creek, Manitoba, with their nine children.
It is an exciting time in calf research. Over the past decade, several studies have challenged traditional approaches to feeding calves and showed the benefits of feeding more milk to improve health, growth rates, feed efficiency and animal welfare in dairy calves. One of the key findings of the past decade – which has motivated farmers to pay closer attention to calf management – is that the way we feed and manage calves during the pre-weaning period can influence milk production later in life.
The first months of a calf’s life span are the most critical stages of development, where immune, digestive and metabolic systems are maturing, alongside rapid structural growth. The potential to develop to their full genetic capacity and best utilize this most efficient period of growth can be jeopardized and lost by poor health.
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