The Calf HERO™12 is the world’s first intuitive colostrum management system for large herd dairy farms. Never before could you have a text message sent to notify that colostrum is ready. This new Calf HERO™12 is not only the largest capacity, individually handling up to 12 one-gallon sized colostrum meals, but also the most precise one with multiple temperature sensors to protect the colostrum.
Unmatched customer experience is delivered via a large 6” touch screen featuring oversized icons and the ability to switch between English and Spanish with the push of a button. Each Calf HERO™12 is handcrafted in Wisconsin with the the most durable materials.
Text messaging is the most popular feature of Calf HERO™ 12. It ensures that colostrum protocols are being followed properly and colostrum is always fed on time, ultimately increasing the quality of the colostrum being fed. The texts will also remind consumers if they are running low on colostrum supplies to avoid any shortages. Consistency is the key to a superior colostrum management system and customers see the impact immediately. “We ran a test of the Golden Calf Company’s colostrum management effectiveness”, says Ionel Stanku of Fulton, MI, where he operates a 3,600 cow dairy. “We put calves into two groups, first one was fed colostrum with the new system and the other using our traditional protocol. We weighed the calves at birth and at 8 weeks old (1 week after weaning), the calves in the Golden Calf Company group gained on average 19 lbs more than those fed the other way. ”
Listening to customers’ demand, Golden Calf took a hard look at efficiency. The Calf HERO™12 takes advantage of hot water already available on dairies and through a feature called Hot Water Assist System (HWAS) reduces the consumption of energy needed to bring colostrum to the desired pasteurizing temperature. Through an improved design of the holding tank and efficiencies in software, they were able to reduce the amount of water and energy needed to pasteurize and cool an individual meal of colostrum. “Golden Calf Company is so accommodating, they always listen to our feedback,” says Kathy Verhoek, a herdsman at a 4,500 cow dairy in Lake Norden, SD. The Calf Hero 12 is a result of the ever changing dairy industry needs and lowers the everyday workload to make it easier to take care of calves.
The dairy industry’s around the clock schedule represents a unique challenge for any equipment manufacturer. The Calf HERO™12 stands up to any unforeseen service issues with a unique solution within its software. The SmartErrors feature represents a two-fold approach to service handling: inform and solve. Any time a service issue occurs an email/text is sent to the Calf Manager as well as a log of information that assists in troubleshooting. At the same time a message on the screen informs the on-site user of the problem and its possible solutions. The SmartErrors function will either walk the user through a simple repair or replacement, or for non-critical errors you can simply override them, so that the day-to- day operation of the dairy can continue. “Our goal in creating the SmartErrors feature was to engineer any potential downtime of the equipment to a bare minimum,” says Andy Beckel, owner of Golden Calf Company LLC, “and we are proud to say that we have accomplished it.”
Golden Calf Company will be exhibiting in booth 6331 and 6332 in the Dairy Center at the World Ag Expo. Onsite contact: Dagmar 715.944.9608 or dagmar@goldencalfcompany.com
