Calf & Heifer Nutrition

Reduce transport stress for healthier calves

louderdvm@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Not only do we deal with stress in our lives, but we often create stressful situations for the animals we care for. Recognizing these events and taking measures to provide the animals with mechanisms to deal with stress can help them bounce back more quickly.

Making sense of the data: Insights and action items for your calf records

seck@immucell.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

A successful calf program doesn’t happen by chance. It takes time, focus, attention and, of course, proper data collection. When gathering data, we should think about what we are measuring, our purpose and how we can improve upon these measurements.

Roundtable: Calf questions from around the U.S.

jennifer_wiley@cargill.com — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Lean into your consultants and fellow producers to troubleshoot and come up with solutions. Every operation is unique and will require unique solutions that work for your employees, facilities and budget.

Seven pillars of successful calf raising

tiago.tomazi@merck.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Just as solid structural pillars form a strong foundation for the barn, these seven pillars of calf raising are powerful steps to help build a solid foundation for the future milking herd.

A gut check for calf programs: A multipronged approach for gut health

marisol_orellana@diamondv.com — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

A calf’s gut is a blank slate at birth, but bacterial microbes quickly establish themselves within the first weeks of life. During this narrow window, the calf’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract is rapidly colonized by bacteria from equipment, colostrum and bedding – both beneficial as well as harmful.

Feeding for impact: How can we improve dairy calf health and performance?

minnie.ward@feedworksusa.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

To me, calf raising is a continuous journey of learning, hands-on experiences and skill development. That said, the key is to stay focused and avoid overthinking or overcomplicating the process.

Beef-on-dairy: Best management practices

kramsey@neogen.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The utilization of beef semen on dairy cattle to create higher value crossbred calves has proven to be an effective strategy for dairy producers. Dairy producers who focus on creating quality beef-on-dairy calves will have the edge as the market dynamics shift.

What’s the biology of feeding the preweaned calf?

jamesre60@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

The importance of hydration: A new look at proactively hydrating calves

minnie.ward@feedworksusa.com — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As a calf raiser, I ask myself: If dehydration is the number one killer of calves, why don’t we practice both proactive and reactive approaches to keeping them hydrated?

A good start sets up beef-on-dairy calves for a strong finish: A case study

garland@iastate.edu — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

When fed aggressively, beef-on-dairy calves are hard to differentiate from native beef cattle by an untrained eye; however, these calves tend to be plagued with a fairly high incidence of liver abscesses, and this occurrence was the basis for our investigation.

Calf health and antioxidant cash flow

tana_dennis@cargill.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

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.

Milk feeding programs' effects on dairy calf growth: Increased allowances of milk in early life matters

tdasilva@uvm.edu — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Raising dairy calf replacements represents a significant cost on dairy farms. Feeding, especially milk or milk replacer, is the major primary expense during this phase, followed by labor and management. In this regard, planning and implementing an optimized on-farm calf milk feeding program becomes key.

Calf management – beef vs. dairy

jamesre60@gmail.com — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:49:51 -0500

Seeing beef cow-calf pairs on pasture caused me to consider how we have raised dairy calves. Granted, most of our commercial dairy management systems don’t allow this kind of environment for the cow and her newborn calf, but what can be done to make our systems better?

Making the most of your beef-on-dairy genetics with proper nutrition

ongentherschroeder@landolakes.com — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As cattle producers explore avenues for boosting productivity, the spotlight often shines on genetics. For crossbred beef-on-dairy calves, maximizing genetic potential goes beyond selecting the right genes – it is also about creating the right environment to allow those genes to fully express.

Adding IgY makes milk replacer better

sjones@arkionls.com — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Not all milk replacers are the same. Sure, they differ by protein source, level of protein/fat and any medications or additives included. But milk replacers also differ on how well they support gut health and protect overall calf health. While you probably have a favorite milk replacer, new research shows that adding IgY, the avian equivalent of IgG (immunoglobulin G found in colostrum), can make a good milk replacer even better.

4 tips to foster a positive impact on calf stress

curt.vlietstra@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

When calves face stress, it often threatens their respiratory health. Mitigating risk, including stress management, is a key component of a larger bovine respiratory disease (BRD) battle plan, which also includes building immunity and managing infection.

Investments in life cycle feeding of probiotics supports your bottom line

kimmo@novonesis.com — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Effective probiotics cost pennies per day and provide significant benefits throughout the entire life cycle of an animal.

Enhancing calf wellness: A comprehensive approach

kreed@diamondv.com — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the ever-evolving landscape of calf rearing, maintaining a consistent approach is key to ensuring the health and productivity of your herd. Just as human babies thrive on routine, calves benefit from a structured feeding schedule and care regimen.

Feeding show heifers during different stages of growth

josh_hushon@cargill.com — Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The number one goal of a feeding program is to promote healthy development from birth to freshening. Additionally, we want to maximize each heifer’s growth and genetic potential to its fullest – while also promoting healthy hair coats, good muscle tone and ideal body condition – when it matters most, show days.

Can your calves pass these tests?

jonathan.townsend@merck.com — Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the realm of calf raising, the adage holds true: "You can't manage what you can't measure." From birth to weaning, a variety of tests and measurements can help you evaluate the success of your calf-raising protocols, provide insights into calf health and highlight areas for improvement.

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

tana_dennis@cargill.com — Thu, 02 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Optimizing rumen development through starches in beef-on-dairy calves

brittany.statzolson@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Klipp explained that, compared to their straight beef counterparts, beef-on-dairy calves are weaned early from a liquid milk diet and need a functional rumen to maintain growth and overall health.

Some surprising research results from our calf facility

drdrew@nouriche.com — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Mixing temperature and feeding calves IgYs can have a bigger impact on calf weight gain and health than expected.

Productive life starts with calves

matt_dodd@diamondv.com — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Calves are not just a cost; they are the investment in the future potential of your dairy herd. As the promising carriers of our best genetics, they represent the assurance of future profitability.

G.I. tract health is key in pneumonia prevention

kimmo@novonesis.com — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:58:39 -0500

Raising calves in the winter brings many challenges, and feeding an effective probiotic is one tool that can help reduce the stress involved in calf raising.

Surviving to thriving with a premature calf

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 07:23:06 -0500

We were determined to try our best and put in extra effort to give this calf the best chance of survival possible. Although every farm might have their own premature calf protocol, I will share ours that successfully worked.

Discussing timely producer questions

Crystal_Prom@cargill.com — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Learn how to manage forage inventories after harvest, improve average daily gain of calves and capitalize during times of tight farm margins.

Invest in the perfect calf

djdominguez@immucell.com — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Giving calves a good start can be expensive. However, not investing in your calf operation can cost you in the parlor. Too many dairies chase after pennies of efficiency on the cow side but trip over dollars of missed opportunities in their calf program.

Improving calf rumen health during times of stress

louderdvm@gmail.com — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

While failures of the immune system are often seen, little is taken into account of what the immune system requires and if it is getting what it needs from the digestive system of the animal.

Beef-on-dairy nutrition in the nursery

sara_sievert@diamondv.com — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In the realm of beef-on-dairy calves, the presence of beef genetics imparts inherent advantages, promising greater consistency and robust muscling when compared to their all-dairy breed counterparts.