Breeding heifers to calve in around 2 years old puts them on a productive track to begin paying off the costs of their rearing and avoid mounting up additional expenses while they remain open
Sometimes on the farm, I just need a bit of good news. For those of you who dairy or have in the past, you know what I mean. A little pick-me-up of good news just hits the spot
Diarrhea remains a common challenge on dairy farms and calf raising operations around the world. This challenge is also costly. At the University of Guelph, we recently completed a study that eva
One of the three largest expenses on a dairy farm is raising replacements, and the greatest cost in that category is the feed it takes to get a heifer from birth to first lactation
January 2022 was the third straight month that U.S. milk production declined — milk pounds down 1.6% compared to last year represented the largest year-over-year loss in nearly 18 years
A relatively new trend in calf raising is feeding transition milk to calves in early life. Dairy producers have long understood the importance of quickly providing newborn calves with colostrum
Scours is one of the most common calfhood illnesses, and it remains a widespread issue on farms. According to the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association’s Gold Standards, farms should aim for less than...
Without naming names, you can probably think of a sports team that’s been down on its luck recently (or longer). Fans or the media may give them a bit of a break
Heifers can do very well when raised in freestalls, and the overall footprint and bedding requirements of a freestall barn is often smaller than that of loose housing
A majority of producers in the most recent National Animal Health Inspection Service (NAHMS) survey indicated that they provide heifer calves with 2 quarts or more of colostrum after the initial feeding
When heifer inventories are considered, an often-overlooked impact of a smaller heifer inventory is a need to take a closer look at culling rates in the lactating herd
With heifer prices dropping to modern-day record lows in the last several years, many farms have been faced with the question of what to do with extra heifers that aren’t bound for their lactating...