Youngstock

Preweaned calf rumen development: How it shapes heifer growth and future milk production

amelie_mainville@cargill.com — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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.

The remarkable difference hyperimmunized colostrum makes

mwustenberg@immucell.com — Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

You may not be familiar with the term “hyperimmunized,” let alone use it in everyday conversation. Yet it is the most powerful tool to enrich colostrum and influence calf health and development.

Maintaining calf performance via a strategic electrolyte protocol

jmatschke@grober.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Calf hydration management is one of the most critical and often overlooked components of successful calf raising. In the first weeks of life, calves are highly susceptible to fluid imbalance caused by environmental stress, management transitions and gastrointestinal illness.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Effect of water quality on calf health and new insights on fatty acids

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers assessed the effects of municipal tap water compared with purified water on calf performance and health.

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.

Small calves, big gains: Maximizing average daily gain in replacement calves

maxime_tarte@cargill.com — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

In an increasingly demanding dairy production environment, the performance of replacement heifers is a major factor for ensuring herd profitability and sustainability. A solid rearing program goes beyond genetics – it starts with measuring current growth results.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Lung ultrasonography in dairy calves and effect of VWP length on second-parity cows

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

This column brings you information regarding some of the research being done around the world and published in the Journal of Dairy Science. It discusses how lung ultrasonography is improving our understanding and management of respiratory disease in young calves, and the effect of voluntary waiting period length on milk yield, fertility and culling in high-yielding, second-parity cows.

Having cows that learn pays off: How group housing benefits future production

dlequin@lactanet.ca — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Dairy cattle have a reputation for being a bit slow to learning, but they have the ability to learn quite well. Their ability to learn is directly linked to their welfare, as they learn and perform best when they are healthy, comfortable and at ease.

Are PI calves undermining your herd?

jennifer_3.roberts@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Persistently infected (PI) calves shed bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) with every breath and drop of saliva. They don’t just live with the virus – they spread it, continuously and invisibly, exposing every animal around them to the disease, which can impact overall herd health and performance.

In one hour, the cascade effect begins

mwustenberg@immucell.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Literally, the first hour of birth sets the stage for a calf’s life. After those 60 minutes, a calf climbs aboard one of three tracks.

The vital role of colostrum in calf development: Epigenetic implications

gabriel@coloquick.com — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Recent research has shown the epigenetic influences of colostrum feeding practices on the long-term productivity and health of dairy cows. This article delves into the importance of timely colostrum feeding and its epigenetic impacts, providing insights for dairy farmers and dairy consultants.

The three most common calf-care challenges I see on farms

seck@immucell.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Calf-raising systems are not necessarily one-size-fits-all. Not all raisers face the same challenges. Each operation has different approaches – from feeding methods (bottles, buckets or auto feeders), to housing strategies (group settings or individual pens), to the choice between whole milk or milk replacer – the differences are many. Despite contrasts in styles, calf raisers seek many of the same answers in their pursuit of excellence.

From hutches to barns: How calf housing is changing

rrobertshaw@canarm.ca — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Raising healthy, high-performing calves starts with the right housing system. As calf care practices have evolved, many dairy and veal producers are now exploring how indoor housing systems can better support their operational goals.

Getting the dollar for your buck: Managing first-lactation heifers from the first test

emolgat@lactanet.ca — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Dairy enterprises invest considerable resources to raise replacements. To capture the opportunities that raising programs offer to farm profitability, dairy operations should not only make efforts to control raising expenses but also to ensure the return of their investment by evaluating the resulting quality of their replacements.

Day-old calf nonnegotiables

cthrasher@genex.coop — Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Through our experience of working with numerous dairies to troubleshoot early calf health challenges, we’ve identified several critical, nonnegotiable colostrum management practices.

Research Review: Bringing science to the barn: New fact sheets help dairy farmers apply the latest research on calf and cow care

Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Over the past few months, we’ve shared insights from this program on topics such as locomotion, nutrition and social housing for calves. One key topic remains: pain mitigation.

Heat stress in heifers: Causes, effects and management

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Heat stress is a challenge many dairy operations face, particularly during the summer and fall months. When temperatures rise and humidity increases, livestock are forced to adapt to try to cope with the heat. This can lead to a wide range of health and productivity issues.

Managing replacement costs

lkruse@selectsires.com — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0500

I have had the opportunity to analyze dairy software files from dairy operations across many states in the U.S., and I still see great opportunities to reduce herd turnover costs within many dairy operations. Here are a few areas to consider as you look at how to plan for your future replacement costs.

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?

Optimizing your colostrum bank

gabriel@coloquick.com — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

In this article, we will explore a real-world case that illustrates the hazards of improper colostrum handling and provides guidelines for optimizing your colostrum bank to ensure the highest-quality colostrum reaches your calves.

Are calf hutches still the ‘gold’ standard?

jamesre60@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

For many years, the calf hutch has been considered the “gold” standard. Is it time to reevaluate this standard? Let’s consider the benefits and challenges of the calf hutch system compared to other alternatives.

Breaking down the year-end review: 3 areas to focus on

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

As the year draws to a close, it is the ideal time to take a step back and look at each part of your operation and make a note of areas where progress has been made (and celebrate it!) and identify areas of opportunity.

Train your team for effective intranasal vaccination

tiago.tomazi@merck.com — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As dairy calves enter the world with immature immune systems, it is crucial to lay a robust foundation of immunity against bovine respiratory disease (BRD) during their early weeks and months. Intranasal vaccination is a good option to help protect young calves against BRD-causing pathogens. This article outlines six steps to effectively administer an intranasal vaccine.

5 strategies to implement for winter feeding and cow comfort

tamilee.adolph@adm.com — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

An adjusted feeding program for winter that provides adequate nutrients to sustain increased energy demands at all life stages, coupled with practical farm management strategies, will help keep calves, heifers and lactating cows productive throughout the cold season.

Acidosis or BRD: Strategies for preventing misdiagnosis

louderdvm@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Moving calves from the hutches to group pens isn’t just stressful for the calves. Workers know that when a new group of calves moves into the group pen, the calves have a much greater risk of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) or pneumonia.

Win-win opportunities for calf welfare: Enhancing nutrition and social housing for optimal health and productivity

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Calf welfare has been a key focus area of Drs. Dan Weary and Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk’s industry research chair in animal welfare at the University of British Columbia. In a recent episode of the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s research podcast series, Paths to On-Farm Excellence, Weary and von Keyserlingk discussed milk feeding and group housing – two key elements of their research surrounding calf welfare and management.

Preweaned calves, technology and long-term profitability

jamesre60@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Until recently, raising all heifer calves to breeding age or calving and selling them was not profitable. Using the concept of genomics, lower-ranking females in the herd have been bred to beef sires, resulting in a new profit center for many farms. Finally, we are learning to appreciate that the better we raise our heifer calves, the healthier they are, and they produce more milk during their first and later lactations.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Influences on colostrum production and nutritional factors on milk production in automated milking systems

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This article from researchers from Cornell University and Germany describes the individual, seasonal and herd-level variability of colostrum production and summarizes the association between animal individual factors – such as parity, sex of the calf, calf birthweight, as well as indicators of the cow’s metabolic status – and the yield and composition of colostrum.

Sick calves: Where did I trip up?

ccarter@immucell.com — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I graduated college thinking I had learned everything I would need to know to be successful in a career in animal science. My first job as a calf-raising manager on a large calf ranch showed me that was far from the truth. I’m not saying college didn’t prepare me. It’s that I never would have expected to fail as much as I did.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Health traits and adaptations of immune function in calves

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Explore how fluctuations in daily milk yield can indicate disease resilience in Holstein cattle, potentially transforming breeding practices for better health and productivity.