Calf & Heifer Special Edition 2020

DAIRY ST R Calf & Heifer Special Edition

March 28, 2020

Page 2 • Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020

DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com

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Calves reach full potential at Whitetail Valley Dairy Trinruds raise solid heifers on 3X per day feeding, pasteurized whole milk

By Stacey Smart

stacey.s@dairystar.com

WAUPACA, Wis. – The Trinruds of Whitetail Valley Dairy near Waupaca place a high priority on calf care. The youngest generation of animals on this 260-cow farm receive top-notch care, ensuring heifers grow healthy and strong to become protable members of the milking string.

Ruth Trinrud, and her 20-yearold daughter, Jensen, are in charge of calves. Jensen recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course and is now working on the farm full time.

Ruth and her husband, Brad, also have a son, Grifn, 19, who works on the farm.

Giving calves the best start in life is Ruth’s and Jensen’s specialty along with their part-time employee, Miranda Golke, who helps with calf chores. Following precise protocols, this calf team is devoted to rearing robust calves that blossom into beautiful heifers and successful lactating animals.

The farm’s meticulous calf care regimen begins at birth. Calves receive a tube of Bovine Ecolizer +C20 and are fed 4 liters of heat-treated colostrum within the rst two hours. The Trinruds

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

All calves 3 weeks old and under at Whitetail Valley Dairy wear jackets when the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Ruth Trinrud (leŌ), and her daughter, Jensen, are in charge of calves at Whitetail Valley Dairy near Waupaca, Wisconsin. use the Brix test to score colostrum, shooting for a value between 25-30 but like the rst feeding rated as close to 30 as possible. Eight hours later, newborns are fed a second meal of colostrum, receiving a total of 6-8 liters within 8-10 hours of life. Calves born in cold weather are placed in individual warmers for eight hours in order to dry completely before moving to the calf barn.

Calves spend their rst two months in a facility designed for optimal calf raising. With capacity for 43 calves, the current calf barn was built in 2016 after the previous barn built in 2011 was destroyed in a re. It was a fresh start that also prompted changes in the Trinruds’ feeding program that have resulted in improvements to calf growth and health. Calves shoot up and continue to grow and gain rapidly.

In 2016, the Trinruds began feeding calves three times per day, substituted pasteurized whole milk for milk replacer and switched from pails to bottles.

“Our calves are a lot bigger now and have more frame,” Ruth said.

“They also mature a lot quicker as yearlings and are ready to breed earlier.

We’re breeding heifers 60 days sooner

than we used to.”

Calves are fed pasteurized milk three times per day according to the following schedule – 2 liters per feeding up to 21 days old, 3 liters per feeding from day 22 to 7 weeks, and 1 liter per feeding for one week leading up to weaning at 8 weeks of age. Calves are fed about every eight hours – at 6:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 9 p.m. The Trinruds have had success feeding three times daily – a practice that ensures calves never go hungry.

“We had some stomach issues when feeding milk replacer on a twicea-day routine,” Ruth said. “Going from empty to full and then back to empty combined with the makeup of the milk replacer was hard on calves’ stomachs. Whole milk is better all around.

Also, calves are more satised eating three times a day. When we fed twice a day, calves were bellering by the time the next feeding rolled around. Now, they’re content between feedings.”

Each stall is equipped with a bottle holder so calves can self-serve once trained on bottle drinking.

Turn to WHITETAIL | Page 3

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 3

ConƟnued from WHITETAIL | Page 1

NEED SOME FRESH AIR? LANGE AG SPECIALIZES IN VENTILATION SYSTEMS FOR CALF & HEIFER BARNS

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Jensen Trinrud boƩle feeds a calf March 17 at her family’s dairy near Waupaca, Wisconsin. The Trinruds switched from pails to boƩles in 2016 and have noƟced an improvement in calf growth.

“Sucking generates growth hormones which helps calves grow better,” Jensen said. “It’s also better for the rumen.”

To eliminate the tedious job of washing bottles by hand, the Trinruds invested in a bottle washer which automates the cleaning process after every feeding. Holding 40 bottles, the washer rinses and cleans with acid and detergent.

Warm water is supplied to calves year-round and refreshed during each feeding. Calves are given a cherry-scented, medicated starter containing 20% protein around day 2. Starting out at 1 pound per day, calves are

weaned when eating 8 pounds of starter per day.

Scours are next to none at Whitetail Valley where the calf mortality rate is 2.8%.

“We rarely get scours,” Jensen said.

“If we do, we give T.D.N. Rockets a couple of times and reduce the amount of milk fed by about a third. We nd that feeding less milk gets rid of it.

In the past, it took longer to clear up scours, but now we’re able to monitor it much better.”

Calves are given INFORCE 3 vaccine intranasally every three weeks Turn to WHITETAIL | Page 4

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Page 4 • Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020

ConƟnued from WHITETAIL | Page 3

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Calves on the Trinruds’ dairy are housed in 4- by 8-foot individual stalls with removable panels.

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until weaned to prevent respiratory disease. Pregnant cows are vaccinated three weeks prior to calving with Bovi-Shield Gold.

Not only are pneumonia and other diseases minimal in young calves, the Trinruds have also found fewer cases of illness post-weaning.

Calves are housed in individual stalls that measure 4 feet by 8 feet and feature removable panels. The barn has automated curtains which open and close according to temperature. Ventilation tubes above both rows of calves run continuously to help push air into stalls and keep air circulating in the barn, preventing pneumonia and other respiratory problems. Operated by sensors, the tubes slow down at 28 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, fans above the stalls run on a thermostat during the summer to ensure proper airow.

From October through April, stalls are bedded with a sawdust base and covered with straw until calves are 3 weeks old. When weather is cold, all calves receive a straw bed. In summer, the Trinruds only use sawdust.

When temperatures fall below 50 degrees, calves under 3 weeks of age wear a jacket. In extreme cold, Ruth and Jensen keep jackets on calves for a longer time period. Sometimes, jackets come off earlier to allow for more hair growth.

Panels are removed a couple of days after weaning to allow for calves

to be placed in groups of three to four for one to two weeks before moving onto the next phase of housing. Calves are also offered hay at this time. Calves are fed 4 pounds of calf grain twice daily until reaching 6 months of age before switching to a haylage TMR diet.

Between 20-25 calves are born each month on the farm, and stalls are thoroughly disinfected between animals.

First cleaned out with a skid steer, the entire stall – including the back wall, front head gates and panels – is then scrubbed down with Tek-Trol and left to dry and air out for two to three weeks – a procedure the Trinruds follow faithfully.

“If any pathogen is present, it takes that long for the bug to run its course and die,” Jensen said. “Cleaning stalls in this manner makes a big difference.”

The Trinruds use paste to dehorn calves in the rst 3 days of life, which Ruth said has been a great means of dehorning.

Excellent calf care translates into adults that ourish, and the Trinruds are reaping the fruits of their labor.

Milk production in rst-calf heifers has reached new levels with animals peaking at 140-150 pounds of milk versus maxing out at 120 pounds in the past.

The Trinruds said changing their calf feeding strategies – what, when and how they feed – has made all the difference.

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 5

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 7

Ward shares ve C’s of raising a farm’s youngest stock

By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

ST. CHARLES, Minn. – When it comes to calf care, Minnie Ward said think about ve C’s: colostrum, calories, consistency, cleanliness and comfort.

The calf and sales specialist from Calf Star typically helps farmers keep those words at the forefront of their minds when making decisions about how to care for the farm’s youngest bovines. She also uses these essentials in her custom heifer raising business on her farm near St. Charles.

Colostrum Colostrum is No. 1 on the list for a reason.

“I think it’s the most important aspect,” Ward said.

Calf care 101

“The light bulb is coming on in the industry that this is the piece of the puzzle that we have to get right.”

Quality, quantity and timing make a difference when it comes to feeding the rst milk.

Quality colostrum refers to its nutrient composition which can be measured with a refractometer, Ward said.

Any colostrum with a digital reading of 24 or above is adequate for feeding. Anything below that number should either be fed to older calves or have a supplement added to boost the nutritional content.

The quantity is also important. Large breeds should receive about 1 gallon of colostrum while smaller breeds should receive three-fourths of a gallon of colostrum.

Timing is also critical.

“Those calves need it as soon as possible,” Ward said.

This means within two hours of birth, Ward said. If colostrum is fed later, the calf takes in fewer antibodies which would lower passive immunity.

The colostrum also needs to be clean. After the colostrum is harvested from the cow, what is going to happen to

it?

“Have a plan in place,” Ward said. “Just like with regular milk or milk replacer, if colostrum sits too long, bacteria is going to start replicating.”

Ward said it does not matter whether that plan is feeding right away, pasteurizing or freezing, but a farmer should know what needs to be done to keep colostrum free of outside pathogens. Bacteria starts doubling as soon as 20 minutes.

“You might have really good colostrum, but if you let it sit there for an hour and a half or three, and the cats are dipping their paws into it, it’s contaminated,” Ward said.

Calories If a calf does not take in enough calories, it does not have a future in the industry. A calf needs 2,400 calories each day for maintenance and will need more for growth and development.

Turn to CALF CARE | Page 8

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“I use a Big Mac as an analogy,” Ward said. “If you look at a Big Mac, a calf needs more than what’s in that burger each day.”

Time of year makes a difference for how many calories calves should be intaking.

“The requirements a calf needs are a lot different for us (in the Upper Midwest) than a calf in Texas or even Missouri,” Ward said.

Throughout the winter months starting Nov. 1 until the end of March, Ward suggests to increase a calf’s plane of nutrition. This can be done by increasing solids, volume of milk or the number of feedings.

Regardless of time of year, Ward said it is also important to know what a producer is feeding his or her calves.

“I don’t think a lot of producers know what they are feeding,” Ward said. “What is the value of your whole milk? Have you done a bacteria sample on your whole milk? All of that is important.”

Consistency Having standard procedures that clearly dene what to feed, how much to feed and when is important on a dairy.

Following that procedure is even more important.

“I don’t care what you’re feeding, whether whole milk or milk replacer, but you’ve got to keep the same solids day in and day out,” Ward said. “It needs to stay consistent.”

The timing of the feeding is critical, Ward said.

“Once you start feeding at 12 hours apart – or eight hours if you’re able to feed three times a day – don’t deviate on that time,” she said. “The calves are depending on that nutrition.”

If more than one person feeds calves, it is crucial for each of them to follow the same routine.

“You can get some really funky things happening if two people are feeding calves different amounts at different times,” Ward said.

Cleanliness Just as with colostrum, cleanliness is a vital step when feeding milk whether it is pasteurized waste milk or milk replacer. If the milk is going to be fed right away, it needs to be kept away from items and other animals that might contaminate the milk before it reaches the calves. Like colostrum, if milk is going to be stored, it needs to rst be cooled properly.

“It’s no different than your milk hauler when he’s taking the milk sample out of the tank,” Ward said. “What does he do? A cold water plunge. He’s trying to reduce the temperature of the milk right away so there’s no (bacteria) replication.”

Ward suggests cleaning a 1 liter bottle of pop, lling it with water and freezing it. Put the frozen bottle in the middle of 1 gallon pail of milk to try to cool the core down as quickly as possible.

“If you just put it in the refrigerator, the outside is going to start to cool down, but that core isn’t,” Ward said.

“And it can be three or four hours before that even penetrates to the core. And in the meantime, that replication is still going on.”

Ward understands these steps can add up in time.

“It’s common sense, but it’s hard,” Ward said. “The typical farmer is doing 16 different tasks during the course of eight hours on a dairy each day.”

Proper sanitation of bottles and pails needs to be part of the chore routine.

“Have the right chemicals to clean everything,” Ward said. “Chlorine dioxide works well to clean, disinfect and reduce pathogen loads.”

Comfort Calves also need to be comfortable to be healthy. Bedding should be adequate and dry.

During colder months, calf jackets are a necessity, Ward said.

“Even this time of year when it’s getting a little warmer, I see a lot of calves without jackets,” she said. “When we start wearing hoodies and vests, that’s when calf jackets need to go on.”

Although it will depend slightly on the type of facility a calf is in, calf jackets can be taken off when the temperature is above 50 degrees for three consecutive days.

“Having the jacket on the rst two weeks is important because that’s when everything impacts those little ones,” Ward said. “But if you have the ability to keep the jackets on until weaning, do it because you’re just going to appreciate that coverage for extra protection and growth.”

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 9

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Page 10 • Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 11

Growing with the dairy industry

Van Essen family raises heifer calves for half a dozen farms

By Jerry Nelson

jerry.n@dairystar.com

EDGERTON, Minn. – Rearing healthy replacement animals is a top concern for every dairy operator. Each new

heifer calf represents the dairy herd’s future.

Some dairy farmers have chosen to outsource calf rais-

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

The Van Essen family built this new modied open front shed in 2016 to make room for the new calves that arrive each day at their farm near Edgerton, Minnesota. The Van Essens raise heifers for six dairies and have between 2,100 and 2,400 head on their farm at any one Ɵme.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Todd Van Essen res up the laptop used to keep track of breeding on his family’s custom dairy heifer raising operaƟon. The computerized records are made available to the heifers’ owners by the end of every day.

ing thus enabling the dairy operator to concentrate more fully on producing milk. This has prompted other farmers to specialize in the ne art of custom raising dairy heifer calves.

Todd Van Essen and his family are a good example of this growing practice. Todd and his wife, Michelle, have four children: Mason, 19, Tabitha, 17, Peyton, 14, and Levi, 11.

Mason is taking ag power and equipment courses at Ridgewater College in Willmar. The

younger Van Essen children attend school in Edgerton.

“Michelle and I started raising a few calves soon after we got married in 1994,” Todd said. “We had purchased this farm, and a dairy heifer buyer asked us if we could raise some of his calves for him. We got the calves at 400-500 pounds and took care of them until they were sold.”

It was not long before area dairy farmers began to ask the Van Essens if they would also

raise calves for them.

Todd said the calf raising operation has steadily grown as the size of dairies have grown.

They are raising calves for six dairies with 2,100 to 2,400 head of heifers at any one time.

“All of our kids pitch in around the farm, even the girls,” Michelle said. “They help with everything from sorting and loading calves to treating sick animals. Our girls Turn to VAN ESSEN | Page 12

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Page 12 • Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020

ConƟnued from VAN ESSEN | Page 11

have developed a knack for spotting animals that are feeling a bit off. They know how to pick out heifers that need extra attention.”

Todd grew up in the area but spent two years in the early 1990s working on a large dairy farm located at Chino, California.

“Dairy farming is very different in California compared to the way we do things in Minnesota,” Todd said.

“The dairies are huge, and everything is housed in outside lots. Most of the dairies sent their heifer calves to heifer ranches in Utah or Colorado.”

Heifer calves arrive at the Van Essen farm when they are 6 months old.

The heifers are sent back to their home farms when they are seven to eight months pregnant.

“We use a vaccination program for the heifers that is customized to each dairy’s wishes,” Michelle said. “Some of the dairies also have us give each heifer a magnet.”

Michelle is the herdswoman on the farm. She keeps vaccination and breed-

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Van Essen family includes, from leŌ, Tabitha, Michelle, Levi, Todd, Peyton and Mason. The Van Essens operate a 2,400-head heifer raising farm near Edgerton, Minnesota. ing records.

“Little things are important,” Michelle said. “Little things can also make a big difference. We have a very good working relationship with all of our dairies. We have gotten to know them and have developed a deep level of trust with them. Their heifers are their future.

The heifers need to return to their home farms healthy and well-fed.”

The dairies choose which sires will JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR be used to inseminate their heifers. A The older animals are kept in outdoor dry lots at the Van Essen heifer farm. Genex employee comes to the Van EsEach dry lot is on concrete and features a deep bedding pack comprised of sen farm every day to breed heifers. baled corn stalks.

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Todd and Mason Van Essen discuss where to spread the next load of manure from their 2,400-head calf raising operaĆ&#x;on. The Van Essens someĆ&#x;mes have more manure than they need, enabling them to swap manure they put on their neighbors’ land for the corn stalks they bale in the fall. employee do all of the work,â€? Todd said. “We farm 1,300 acres that are planted to corn and alfalfa. We chop all of our silage and put up all of our hay.

We recently began to make baleage.

The cattle like it because it’s very palatable, and we like it because we can bale our alfalfa 48 hours after we cut it.�

The smaller animals at the Van Essen farm are housed in sprawling modiďƒžed open front sheds that are located on two neighboring farmsteads. The larger heifers are kept in open lots that have concrete ďƒ&#x;oors and feature a deep bedding pack of baled corn stalks. “We will put up about 3,000 bales of corn stalks every fall,â€? Todd said. “We like to keep the fringes of the bedding packs clean, so hauling manure is a daily battle. Snow and rain are big factors; weather is our biggest stress.

We totally clean out the bedding packs

in April which helps us with ďƒ&#x;y control.

Sometimes we have more manure than we can use. This enables us to sell manure to our neighbors or to swap manure that we spread on their land for corn stalks that we can bale in the fall.�

Caring for heifer calves is a 365day job. But the Van Essen family would not have it any other way. Todd appreciates the cash ďƒ&#x;ow the business provides and enjoys the low risk of not owning the heifers but did note the grain and hay prices affect their bottom line. “We are doing our best to incorporate our kids into the operation,â€? Todd said. “The opportunity is there for our children to work on our farm, but we want them to be more than just employees. We hope that they will be able to take over from Michelle and I someday and become owners.â€?

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Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020 • Page 15

Colostrum vital to calf health

Manage rst feedings, beyond for long term benets

By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The rst feeding of colostrum is unequivocally important for a calf’s health and survival.

Over the last several decades, the industry has also come to understand the value of colostrum beyond that rst feeding.

“Over the last 30 years, United States dairy producers have made impressive and on-going improvements in colostrum management,” Dr. Sandra Godden said.

Godden is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul.

Research has shown feeding newborn calves colostrum is a key factor in not only a calf’s health and survival, but also the longer term impacts of rate of gain as a heifer and productivity as a cow. There has been additional research to prove the added benets of extending colostrum feeding in calf care management, including post-gut closure.

“The rst feeding is still the most important thing to get right,” Godden said. “However, we also increasingly recognize that additional benets can be achieved by offering additional feedings of transition milk.”

Colostrum is the sole way newborn calves receive maternal antibodies to protect against common diseases until the immune system is mature. This act, known as passive transfer, has been known to reduce calf morbidity and mortality, said Godden, but it must be delivered correctly for calves to benet most.

“The basic tenets for success with the rst feeding include high quality colostrum, sufcient quantity, quickness, cleanliness and monitoring,” Godden said.

Colostrum quality is determined by immunoglobulins (IgG), or protective antibodies, present or through Brix readings of the milk. Typically, a milk sample with tested IgG levels of at least 50 grams per liter or a Brix reading of 20% or greater is the appropriate quality for feeding.

Godden said if Brix readers indicate that 90% of the herd is not producing high quality colostrum, farmers should look at potential problems in management.

“This could be caused by rapid harvest of colostrum after calving, different dry period stressors and short dry periods, and pre-partum nutrition,” she said.

The rst feeding should aim to provide a calf with 10% of their bodyweight in colostrum. For example, a typical Holstein calf should receive about 4 quarts.

If the calf does not consume the colostrum with a nipple bottle, farmers are encouraged to use an esophageal tube feeder.

Choosing which method to deliver the colostrum is particularly important with the understanding that timeliness is essential.

“Calves should receive their rst feeding of colostrum as soon as possible after birth, ideally within two hours,” Godden said. “This is the time when efciency of absorption of antibodies across the intestine is greatest.”

For farmers with the capabilities to observe colostrum cleanliness and monitor calf health, there are tests and parameters to follow.

Farmers who culture colostrum, the total plate count goal for fresh colostrum should test at 100,000 colony forming units per milliliter or less. Likewise, heat-treated colostrum should test at 20,000 cfu per mL. “Pathogenic bacteria in colostrum may cause disease,” Godden said. “And, high bacteria levels can interfere with IgG absorption.”

To know if the rst feeding was effective in passive transfer, farmers can collect blood samples on calves ages 24 hours to 9 days old, and measure Brix value or serum total protein.

Farmers should aim for 90% of calves tested to meet a STP value of 5.1 grams per deciliter or a Brix value of 8.1%, according to Godden.

“However, achieving incrementally higher STP or serum Brix values will result in further improvements in calf health and performance,” she said.

Colostrum management does not end after the rst feeding.

As the neonatal intestine is still permeable to maternal antibodies up to 12 hours after birth, researchers suggest providing a second feeding of colostrum. This should be administered in 2 quarts and between 8-12 hours after the rst feeding.

Godden described a recent study that showed calves fed a second feeding of colostrum, a 1:1 colostrum and milk mixture or milk. Calves fed either colostrum or the mixture had a higher maximum serum IgG concentration compared to those solely fed milk.

The benet of multiple colostrum, or colostrum and

milk mixture feedings, goes beyond antibody absorption.

“Feeding colostrum after the gut has closed will still offer benets,” Godden said. “One benet may be that bioactive compounds, like hormones, may stimulate growth of the gastrointestinal tract.”

Studies have shown that assisted development of the gastrointestinal tract could be benecial for nutrition absorption and gut health, Godden referenced.

“Antibodies from colostrum or transition milk may also provide local protection of the GI tract from enteric pathogens including viruses, bacteria and parasites,” Godden said.

The professor recommended colostrum or a mixture of colostrum and milk be fed through 3 days of age, ideally up to 14 days. “(Farmers) feeding pasteurized whole milk are en-

couraged to include transition milk in the pool,” Godden said. “Frozen cubes of clean colostrum added to milk replacer for the rst 12-14 days could also be benecial.”

Through these practices, the National Animal Health Monitoring System – a division of the United States Department of Agriculture – has estimated the number of U.S. heifer calves with failure of passive transfer has dramatically decreased. In 1991, studies found approximately 41% of calves with failed passive transfer. In 2007, that value was at 19.1% and in 2014, it dropped to 13.7%.

Colostrum management continues to evolve as research solidies farm practices.

“There’s a basic need for successful colostrum management, and several methods can help improve your program,” Godden said. “As always, quality, quantity and quickness remain critical.”

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Page 16 • Dairy Star Special Edition • Saturday, March 28, 2020

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