Future production success begins as early as the first day of a calf’s life. This is especially true when looking at the functionality of a calf’s immune system. Supplementing specific, functional fatty acids has proven beneficial to one-week-old calves’ immune systems, growth, and performance. When calves are born, their immune system is not fully developed and depends upon colostrum antibodies to develop immune function. The most recent USDA NAHMS survey has attributed the leading causes of calf loss to gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.

High-quality nutrition isn’t just a goal to shoot for in your calf-feeding program; it’s a necessity when it comes to raising healthy, productive calves.

The most successful calf programs begin with this end objective in mind: healthy, productive animals ready to enter the milking string in a timely fashion.

Summer is here, and with 2017 predicted to be warmer than normal, heat stress management on dairy farms should be a top priority. However, heat stress doesn’t just apply to cows. All livestock experience heat stress in similar ways.

As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. This is especially true when it comes to raising Jersey calves. Just because they are small in stature doesn’t mean we should short-change Jersey calves on nutritional intake.

Have you ever found yourself reading a milk replacer tag and trying to understand what additives are included, what those additives do and whether or not they are right for your calf program?

Naturally occurring turnover in dairy herd population necessitates the availability of a supply of high-quality replacement animals to maintain herd population and milk flow. For a majority of dairy operations across the country, this involves inclusion of a replacement-rearing program into the business operation.

In 1975, I learned a valuable lesson in newborn calf health. It was the first spring after my father passed away, and I was solely in charge of calving our beef herd in northern Minnesota.

I do not need to convince dairymen that milk is the most nutritionally complete food source, but I would like to make the point here that milk does not always provide adequate supplies of vitamins and minerals to the young calf.

Protein and amino acids are the most expensive nutrients for raising young calves and heifers. For the growing calf and heifer, protein can be supplied in several different ways. The animal’s stage of life, relative to ruminal development for it becoming a functional ruminant, dictates the types and amounts of protein and amino acids that are of benefit for growth, health and ruminal maturation.