A dairy producer’s dream and goal is a low-maintenance herd with minimized disease instances, great fertility and longevity. Where can they achieve these results?

When it comes to using implants, where does one start? Here are four things you need to know about using implants in dairy beef calves.

At Wichman Farms, automation doesn’t stop with the cows. In fact, it travels 200 feet to link a fresh supply of whole milk to the calf barn.

Abundant information and opinions are available on design for cow barns; but there’s much less information available for designing calf barns – especially calf barns with group housing and automatic feeders.

Dairy farming can be unpredictable, and even with the best management, accidents can happen. For example, a cow may slip exiting the parlor and go down. This could happen even on the best employee’s watch and while following all correct protocols.

Managing dairy calves is truly an art form. The first few weeks of a calf’s life are imperative to how productive that calf will be as an adult, from increased milk during its first lactation to achieving its full genetic potential.

There are many clichés to represent the need for the right tool to do the job. Perhaps the best one that both relates to the subject at hand, as well as in a practical application, is “don’t bring a water pistol to fight a fire.”

When we look at calf health statistics for the U.S. dairy industry, it’s clear we have room for improvement. Data from the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has calculated the national morbidity rate for female dairy calves at 34% and mortality at 5%, with digestive disease or scours as the leading cause of both sickness and death.