Several different forms of animal monitoring equipment have been developed and adopted by dairy producers for use in lactating animals. Some of these same technologies have been put to use in other areas around the farm and it begs the question, “Does video surveillance have a place in the calf barn?”

With hundreds of visits to all sizes and types of dairy farms under their belts, a panel of calf care specialists recently addressed the question, “What is your opinion of automatic calf feeders?”

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar (WCDS), John Kennelly, University of Alberta; Mike Southwood, Alberta Milk; and Bruce Beattie, Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council decided to take a look at how the industry has changed throughout those years.

Four calf care experts came together to provide practical information for dairy producers to further enhance their calf- and heifer-raising programs during a panel presentation on April 6 at the Canadian Dairy XPO in Stratford, Ontario.