It’s common knowledge that feeding adequate volumes of high-quality colostrum benefits the health and growth of the calf. It’s also known that calves that receive good-quality colostrum right after birth carry those benefits throughout their lives as heifers and even into the lactating herd.

Calves can cross-suck on each other not only when housed in pairs or groups, but also when housed individually with contact through pen dividers.

The use of plants in human medicine has a long, rich history.

As I travel around the country and go from farm to farm, I see a good trend beginning to take hold as dairy producers are understanding the value of carrying extra heifer inventory.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? For newborn calves, their answer would most likely be immediate immunity.

The value of adequate colostrum intake to the health and well-being of calves cannot be overstated.

Dr. Lowell T. Midla of Merck Animal Health recently discussed the importance of colostrum and vaccinations in the first three months of a calf’s life in a webinar hosted by the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association.