Periodically, UW-Extension Specialists and Agriculture Agents have collected farm level data to benchmark calf and heifer raising costs. Our first fact sheet The cost of raising dairy calves using individual or automated feeding systems covered the key findings comparing individual feeding systems (bottle or bucket) to using an automated milk feeding system. In the factsheet Averages don’t tell the whole […]

The cost of raising dairy calves and replacement heifers is very significant on Wisconsin dairy farms.  Calculating the costs associate with raising dairy calves and heifers is an essential part of dairy business management. In the Hoard’s Dairyman August article Calves on autofeeders cost a little more, UW-Extension St Croix County Agriculture Agent Ryan Sterry […]

Biofilms are all around us. Biofilms are defined as microbial growth on a solid surface and may harbor bacteria, viruses, and protozoa that may cause disease in calves. In the Heifer Blueprint factsheet Biofilms-Your Biological Foe, UW-Extension Oconto County Agriculture Agent Sarah Mills-Lloyd discusses the impact of  biofilms and how to properly clean feeding equipment […]

Biofilms are all around us. Biofilms are defined as microbial growth on a solid surface and may harbor bacteria, viruses, and protozoa that may cause disease in calves. In the Heifer Blueprint factsheet Biofilms-Your Biological Foe, UW-Extension Oconto County Agriculture Agent Sarah Mills-Lloyd discusses the impact of  biofilms and how to properly clean feeding equipment […]