CALVES & HEIFERS

Scours – it’s an unwelcome but far too common problem on many dairies today. Thanks to education and development of new products, tremendous strides have been made in reducing the severity and number of calves lost due to the main causes of calf scours.

Dairy producers are working to raise both the optimal number and the highest-quality heifers for their operations. Developing replacement heifers is a significant and necessary expenditure for dairies, requiring an investment of $1,800 to $2,200 per head to get them to the start of first lactation.

Nutrition is important at all stages of life for the dairy cow, but it is critical for young calves as they grow and mature.

It’s hot enough these days to fry an egg on the hood of a tractor. Heat stress is a major issue, even in Canada. Yet not much is said about the negative effects of heat stress in calves. Most of our effects focus on cooling the adult milking cows. However, heat stress can also negatively impact the calves. If the calf’s dam was heat stressed during the dry period, the negative consequences could last a lifetime.

When Clarence Markus and his wife, Wendy, took over his family’s 60-cow dairy, Markvale Holsteins in Beachville, Ontario in 1985, they knew they wanted to set the business up so that, someday, their children might have the opportunity to farm.

What is fetal programming? Fetal programming occurs during pregnancy where changes in the intrauterine environment impact the development and subsequent phenotype (physical, biological, metabolic traits) of the fetus.