What’s New In Calf Research

by Dale Carr Vigortone Technical Service Nutritionist

Ten years from now will we still be raising dairy replacement calves in the same manner as we do today? Probably not. As dairies continue to increase in size, more are opting to ship newborn calves to custom growing yards. These “calf ranches” are becoming the equivalent to the pig nursery in the swine industry and the pullet barns in the poultry industry. Calf ranch operators are required to produce a healthy, properly developed heifer calf at a reasonable cost. Death losses and illnesses must be minimized for these operations to be profitable.

Even though the dairy industry has been using Artificial Insemination for decades, there is still a remarkable difference in how cattle grow and perform. In the poultry industry, chick performance is very predictable. Calf ranch operators continue to improve “predictability” by trying new and innovative approaches to eliminate variability. However, due to the nature of the beast, this is very difficult to do. Nonetheless, many calf ranches do perform routine evaluations such as immunoglobulin testing at the time of arrival to help predict which calves may be more susceptible to disease. This allows calf ranch operators to show dairymen if calf care is adequate on the dairy, or if there can be improvements made, particularly when it comes to colostrum quality and intake.

Other innovative approaches that continue to be evaluated by these ranches include additives in the milk or milk replacers to:

• reduce or eliminate scours, improve immune response,

• stimulate healthy gut bacteria and eliminate pathogenic bacteria,

• increase starter intake.

At Vigortone, we are actively doing research to evaluate new and novel ideas to improve calf performance through improvements in our milk replacers, starter feeds, and starter premixes.

Currently, trials are being conducted to evaluate the effect live yeast cells, mannan-oligosaccharide, and fructo-oligosaccharide in milk replacers have on calf health and performance. Studies to evaluate the effect essential oils have on starter intake and calf performance are also under way. These trials take time. Before we make a change in one of our products, we want to be confident that it will make a difference. Many trials have been conducted in the past simply to find that our current products are still the best choice. At Vigortone, we will continue look for new and innovative ways to stay on the cutting edge of research. But rest assured, if it isn’t broke, we wouldn’t go and break it!

This article was published in the January 2005 edition of Vigortone's Bunk, Bull & Business newsletter.