Pasteurizing whole milk has reduced the risk of infection in people and, doubtless, saved millions of lives all over the world. The word “pasteurizing” comes from the name of the inventor, Louis Pasteur, who invented the method of heating milk to kill pathogens and improve human health. On the dairy and calf ranch, pasteurizers are becoming more popular to improve quality of waste milk for calves. These units are generally large enough to pasteurize all the waste milk fed to calves – often hundreds or thousands of liters.

Click here to read an update to this article, "What's new(er) in colostrum research?" The importance of colostrum feeding is well understood by dairy producers and calf raisers. New research is further refining our understanding of the value of colostrum feeding. Developments in technology are providing new and better tools to manage and implement a colostrum-feeding program. Here is a sampling of some of the new research to help better manage this critical part of the calf’s life.