Replacement heifer prices have dropped $310 each over the past two years

Dairy replacement prices fell 24 percent, or $510 in the last four years

The August webinar focused on dry matter intake in four management groups: lactating cows, dry cows, growing heifers, and preweaned calves

Opportunities and challenges in dairy replacement heifer raising by Michael Overton, D.V.M. Heifers are the future for dairies

To be successful, or profitable, raising heifers to first calving includes three areas of consideration – nutrition, health, and reproduction

Between research data and personal on-farm experience, most dairymen would agree that overstocked pens have an undesirable affect on cow health and performance

When dairies find themselves with limited space, one option is to locate a new home for calves or heifers. For some farms, this means a rented facility down the road

Introducing heifers to the milking barn or parlor before calving may be the ticket to reducing stress. When a dairy heifer has its first calf, its world changes dramatically. A first-lactation heifer is...

Dairymen invest in heifers today in hopes that they become productive members of the herd in the future. Rearing costs vary from farm to farm, and the only way to truly measure that investment is to crunch...

Maximize heifers' udder health. Bred heifers represent the future of the milking herd in all dairy operations, and it is critical that udder health be maximized to ensure that these young animals freshen...

Like babies, calves demand a considerable amount of time, energy and individualized attention

Compared to their component-fed counterparts, it took TMR-fed heifers a bit longer to catch up

Soon-to-calve dairy replacement prices were $10 shy of an even $2,000 per head in USDA's latest Agricultural Prices published this January. The $1,990 price was a quoted average for the nation's leading...

Mastitis threatens your young ladies – and your bottom line – long before they reach the milking parlor. Heifer mastitis is real, it is costly, and dairy scientists say it is more common than...

Most farms pay close attention to reproduction in the milking herd; heifers are often another story. Location, facilities and time in the day often impact the reproductive performance of the heifer herd,...

If the time has come to build a new heifer facility on your farm, it is wise to do your homework before the construction crew moves in

Tighter heifer management could be a window of opportunity for many herds. A heifer needs to make about 33,000 pounds of milk to repay her rearing costs, said Cheryl Marti, a dairy production specialist...

"If you don't want to graze your cows, at least consider rotationally grazing your heifers." That was the advice given by Larry Tranel, Iowa State Extension Dairy Specialist, at an Iowa Dairy Days meeting...

It costs money to raise your calves and heifers. Should you invest in facilities and raise your own replacements? Would you be better served utilizing a custom grower? Should you raise every heifer, or...

By improving heat detection efficiency, reducing heat detection errors and honing our inseminating skills, we can get more heifers bred. When it comes to heifer fertility, reproductive experts say to focus...