Tana Dennis

Calf health and antioxidant cash flow

Feeding calves is like running a business. A business struggling with low revenue is more vulnerable to unexpected costs. A calf with depleted nutritional savings is at greater risk when faced with stress and illness.

March 16, 2025

Tana Dennis

We can think of each calf as its own business. Calves need a consistent flow of energy, amino acids, antioxidants and other nutrients to pay the “bills” like supporting growth, immune function and metabolism.

The hidden enemy: How oxidative stress impacts dairy calves and what you can do

Awareness of how common calf management practices can induce oxidative stress is the first step in managing for it.

May 2, 2024

Tana Dennis

One relatively unexplored element for the development of calfhood diseases is oxidative stress. Simply, oxidative stress is a condition where there is an imbalance between the production of unstable free radicals and the body’s ability to neutralize them with antioxidants.

Getting calves to drink water is a yearlong pursuit

A calf’s body is 70% water, and water intake is closely tied to rumen development and starter intake. To encourage intake, producers should provide clean water frequently. Providing warm water or water with electrolytes in a bottle may also encourage additional intake.

December 29, 2022

Tana Dennis

Calf hydration isn’t just for hot weather. A year-round plan for feeding water and electrolytes can help calves stay healthy and productive through all seasons and temperatures. Water is key to hydration and for calves, has major effects on starter intake, rumen development and overall health.

The why and how for balancing amino acids and energy in calf feeds

Feeding excess protein is expensive. If calves are fed a high protein that is not balanced with the necessary energy for growth, much of that protein might be wasted.

July 5, 2022

Tana Dennis

Looking at crude protein (CP) content alone is an outdated way to approach calf nutrition. How we feed calves today is becoming more in line with how we feed our cows – more nutrient-based and less ingredient-based.

Use a step-down program to minimize the post-weaning slump

May 6, 2020

Kayla Aragona and Tana Dennis

Over the last 10 years, the dairy industry has shown an increased interest in early life feeding programs for calves, spurred in part by several studies and meta-analyses illustrating the potential effect of greater pre-weaning average daily gain on future milk production.

Considerations for managing whole or waste milk with replacement heifers

March 11, 2020

Kayla Aragona, Tana Dennis, and Mark Hill

Raising replacement heifers is the second-greatest cost on a dairy farm, and these animals will dictate the future success of the enterprise. To ensure future productive success, many considerations should be evaluated in terms of the liquid diet fed to young pre-weaned calves, especially when the liquid diet consists of whole or waste milk.

New insights into feeding programs for Jersey calves

November 6, 2019

Tana Dennis and Xavier Suarez-Mena

Jerseys are the fastest growing population among dairy breeds, and it’s no surprise the industry is hungry for more data on how to better feed and manage them. With respect to feeding Jersey calves, there is still limited information available on nutritional strategies in the first four months of life.

Does feeding more milk replacer make economic sense?

March 11, 2019

Kayla Aragona and Tana Dennis

Raising replacement heifers is the second-highest cost to a dairy enterprise, making up nearly 20 percent of production costs. More than 15 percent of that total cost is incurred during the first two months of life, when milk replacer makes up a large portion of nutrient intake.

A case study for using quality calf feeds

November 1, 2018

Tana Dennis

Have you ever wondered how valuable feeding a high-quality feed was on calf performance and the impact on your cost of production? We assembled a controlled research study to address this practical topic that was recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science.

Precision nutrition for calves: Can we move beyond crude protein in calf starter?

August 24, 2018

Tana Dennis

In our previous article, “Precision nutrition for calves: Moving beyond crude protein concentration in milk replacer,” we presented substantial evidence for utilizing synthetic amino acids to better supply building blocks for growth and reduce costs associated with overfeeding protein.

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Articles by Tana Dennis

Calf health and antioxidant cash flow

The hidden enemy: How oxidative stress impacts dairy calves and what you can do

Getting calves to drink water is a yearlong pursuit

The why and how for balancing amino acids and energy in calf feeds

Use a step-down program to minimize the post-weaning slump

Considerations for managing whole or waste milk with replacement heifers

New insights into feeding programs for Jersey calves

Does feeding more milk replacer make economic sense?

A case study for using quality calf feeds

Precision nutrition for calves: Can we move beyond crude protein in calf starter?

Another summer of water worries

3 things you need to know about bedding with manure solids

Can stress-suppressing pheromones fit into BQA best practices?

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