Until recently, raising all heifer calves to breeding age or calving and selling them was not profitable. Using the concept of genomics, lower-ranking females in the herd have been bred to beef sires, resulting in a new profit center for many farms. Finally, we are learning to appreciate that the better we raise our heifer calves, the healthier they are, and they produce more milk during their first and later lactations.

I occasionally get calls from customers and other producers about product features or lab samples where the results come back without a clear solution to the challenge. Some wonder why they even saw a scours outbreak and sick calves because they were doing a great job managing the calf environment and being diligent with their prevention program. It’s understandably frustrating for them, and they want answers.

I graduated college thinking I had learned everything I would need to know to be successful in a career in animal science. My first job as a calf-raising manager on a large calf ranch showed me that was far from the truth. I’m not saying college didn’t prepare me. It’s that I never would have expected to fail as much as I did.

Explore how fluctuations in daily milk yield can indicate disease resilience in Holstein cattle, potentially transforming breeding practices for better health and productivity. 

Young calves are the future of most dairy herds, and their future production potential is directly tied to their growth and development pre-weaning. At birth, the rumen is non-functional, leaving the calf reliant on a liquid, milk-based diet.

By definition, scours is complex: a complex clinical symptom associated with multifactorial diseases that prevent the intestine from absorbing fluids and nutrients. Don’t throw up your hands and assume there is only so much you can do.

Cases began to appear more frequently from 2021 onward, as Chilliwack, British Columbia-based veterinarian John Dick began witnessing more cattle infected with S. Dublin in his clients’ herds, noticing that clinical signs varied markedly from the clinical signs typically present in other salmonella serotypes.

Calves are not just a cost; they are the investment in the future potential of your dairy herd. As the promising carriers of our best genetics, they represent the assurance of future profitability.