Let’s explore how the rumen develops in the preweaning phase, and it will become clear why a proper grower diet is necessary for optimal growth and long-term productivity in dairy calves.

As environmental pressures and market dynamics shift, producers are taking a closer look at how early weaning, paired with precise nutrition and management practices, can unlock both short-term flexibility and long-term gains.

Pricing of feeder calves is based on weight as well as their expected future performance. Feedlot owners and managers are tracing superior as well as inferior animals to the previous owners, and future bids depend on animal quality.

Fall began today, or tomorrow. I can’t be sure unless I check a calendar. It’s the autumnal equinox – the point at which the sun shines equally on both hemispheres of a tilted Earth.

There has been an increased incentive to feed the preweaned calf more milk to improve growth, feed efficiency and in many cases, health as compared to our traditional practice of limit feeding milk to stimulate rumen development and early weaning.

It’s typical for newly weaned or sale barn-acquired calves to experience multiple stressors simultaneously when brought onto the farm. This might be the first time those animals are introduced to new feeds. In addition to the new diet, there is a new home along with new penmates and a social hierarchy. These changes then can compound on top of the stress of removing the calf from their dam.