If we go back 10-plus years, most dairy farms bred all their cows and heifers for dairy calves and raised all heifer calves as dairy herd replacements.

Beef-on-dairy calves are an investment. These calves should be treated just as well as a heifer calf that will be raised for the dairy. A poor-quality, unhealthy calf not only hurts your bottom line, it also jeopardizes your reputation as a quality calf supplier.

With the opportunity to capitalize on record-low native beef herd numbers and the growing demand for high-quality beef, dairy-beef crossbred cattle producers can benefit from taking a second look at their early life calf nutrition program.

“I think, done the right way and with proper management all the way through, these calves are better than the native beef,” said Dan Dorn.

“When we talk about raising a dairy replacement heifer, it’s going to ultimately make a milk cow,” said John Robison, a consultant at JDR Livestock Consulting Management Services, during a session of the 2023 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association annual meeting.

The milking herd at NexGen Dairy is a mature group of cows who have proven themselves in milk production and in overall cow health. Achieving such a distinct herd begins with the calves and the farm’s protocols – starting at birth.

When I visit a farm, my favorite question to ask is, “What part of the dairy you are most proud of?” Typically, the answers include some sort of cow performance measurements, such as milk production, pregnancy rates or genomics.