Replacements

Fewer Heifers Mean Higher Stakes for Reproduction

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 22:01:58 GMT

Over the last 20 years, reproduction in dairy herds has changed in ways that were hard to imagine two decades ago. Pregnancy rates that once sat in the low teens are now climbing to levels that have reshaped how farms manage breeding decisions.

“We’ve seen average preg rates go from 13% to 14% to herds that now push 40%,” says Paul Fricke, professor and Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on a recent Dairy Health Blackbelt podcast. “That’s why we’re using sexed semen and beef semen. It’s changed everything.”

However, that progress comes with a tradeoff. As sexed semen is used more strategically and beef semen fills in elsewhere, farms are raising fewer replacement heifers. According to Fricke, that makes it harder to absorb mistakes.

“My argument has been we’ve got to be better with those fewer heifers from a reproductive standpoint,” he says.

With fewer heifers in the pipeline, every breeding decision carries more weight. Missed heats, mistimed inseminations or extended days open can quickly add cost and delay animals entering the milking herd. Fricke says heifer reproduction can’t be treated as a low-priority task. Getting heifers pregnant at the right time, he says, matters more when fewer replacements are available.

Rethink Timed AI in Heifers

As farms work to manage heifer breeding more consistently with fewer replacements, many have turned to synchronization programs to simplify decisions and reduce reliance on heat detection. Timed-AI protocols are now common on many farms because they’re easier to manage with limited labor, but Fricke says they aren’t without limitations. He points to the 5-day CIDR-Synch protocol as a common starting point for heifers, noting that its biggest challenge comes down to timing.

“The big problem with these protocols is they’re not 100% timed AI protocols,” Fricke explains. “We’ll see about 27% to 33% of heifers coming to heat a day early.”

That early estrus creates management challenges and opens the door to mistimed inseminations. To address it, Fricke’s team tested a simple change by leaving the progesterone insert in place for an extra 24 hours.

“There were 12% of the heifers that came into heat early on the 5-day treatment, compared with only 1% on the 6-day treatment,” he says. “With conventional semen in Holstein heifers, there was no decline in fertility.”

Does Sexed Semen Need a Different Approach?

That consistency, however, doesn’t always carry over when sexed semen is used. Fricke says many farms manage sexed semen the same way they would conventional semen, which can lead to lower conception rates than expected.

“Sex[ed] semen is quite different,” he says. “What I generally see is low conception rates. I think it’s a timing of insemination issue.”

In a Wisconsin study across three farms using sexed semen, once-daily heat detection with prostaglandin achieved a 45% conception rate. The 5-day CIDR protocol improved conception to 52%. But the 6-day protocol fell back to 45%.

“The worst thing you can do with sex[ed] semen is inseminate too early,” Fricke says. “And that’s what we did. We kind of set them up to get bred too early.”

Look Beyond Upfront Costs

While synchronization protocols often draw scrutiny for their upfront cost, Fricke argues that focusing only on protocol price misses the bigger economic picture. The real driver of profitability in heifer reproduction, he says, is days on feed.

“The big thing about repro in heifers is limiting total days on feed, because total days on feed is determined by when you get the heifers pregnant,” he says. “That feed cost is something that a lot of farmers don’t look at. It’s the classic kind of unfunded cost, right? The hidden cost.”

In his comparison of minimal estrus synchronization versus CIDR-based programs, the upfront numbers favor the simpler approach. Protocol costs averaged $4.05 per pregnancy for the estrus group, compared to $22.29 for the CIDR group. But the CIDR heifers were inseminated 12 days earlier and pregnant eight days sooner.

“The feed costs were $82 for the estrus group versus $50 for the CIDR group,” Fricke says. “So, we’re actually $16.66 more profitable per pregnancy by being more aggressive with the heifers.”

For Fricke, how the numbers are presented is just as important as the results.

“Farmers will look at the upfront cost,” he says. “We need to show them this is an investment, not just a cost.”

Make Every Heifer Count

As herds rely on fewer replacement heifers, the stakes for getting each one pregnant at the right time are higher than ever. Every day a heifer remains open adds feed costs and can delay her entry into the milking herd, making careful management more critical.

“When I look at dairies, the low-hanging fruit now is the heifer side,” Fricke says. “Heifers are kind of out of sight, out of mind, but heifers are important.”

Fricke emphasizes success in heifer reproduction is no longer just about hitting pregnancy targets. It’s about making the most of each heifer and ensuring the herd stays on track. By understanding how protocols, semen type and timing interact, and by viewing upfront breeding costs as an investment rather than an expense, farms can protect their replacement strategy and improve profitability across the herd.

Dairy Heifer Shortage Builds the Case for Older Cows

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:44:29 GMT

It’s no secret that dairy heifers are in short supply, and their prices are high.

An early 2025 USDA-estimated inventory of just 3.914 million head of dairy heifers over 500 pounds marks the lowest population of dairy heifers in the U.S. since 1978. Meanwhile, the U.S. beef cattle herd is the smallest it has been in 64 years, ramping up incentives for dairies to produce more high-value beef-cross calves.

The financial upshot: today it is common for Holstein springers to fetch record-shattering values of $4,000 per head or more. That makes it challenging for dairies to grow or maintain herd size affordably. Or does it?

Surprisingly, dairy herd size has actually grown by about 114,000 head in the last year – to a current population of 9.410 million head -- through the recent heifer shortage and price-a-palooza. And May 2025 year-over-year milk production was up 1.56%.

That means stalls are being filled by the elder stateswomen of dairies. Higher-parity cows that may have been replaced by their first-lactation counterparts a few years ago are now likely being retained longer. And that’s largely for the best, according to Ryan Leiterman, DVM, Director of Technical Services at Crystal Creek Natural LLC , Spooner, Wis.

“Until recently, many dairies were milking 35% of their herd as first-lactation heifers, and some were even milking 50% heifers,” shared Leiterman. “These heifers are not even at their mature bodyweight yet, and they lack experience in the milking string.”

Leiterman said older cows can be an asset for the following reasons:

They’re better producers – Cows typically hit their peak milk production in their third or fourth lactation. Statistically second-calf cows out-pace first-calf heifers by about 10 lb./cow/day, and third-and-great lactation cows outproduce second-calf cows by an additional 10 lb./cow/day.
Milking them is easier – Multiparous cows, especially those in their fourth lactation and beyond, have more developed mammary tissue and better milk letdown.
They know the drill – Older cows are better adapted to the specific conditions of the farm, such as milking schedules and environmental stressors. While first-calf heifers require training and are often more challenging to milk and manage, older cows have the routines down.

Still, the veterinarian acknowledged that higher-parity cows do come with problems. To maintain an older cow population, Leiterman said a dairy needs to be on top of its nutrition and management game to prevent early herd removal or altered production due to ketosis, milk fever, mastitis, lameness, and poor reproductive efficiency.

But by caring fastidiously for those older cows, Leiterman said dairies can amortize the cost of rearing replacement heifers – which now may exceed $2,500 per head – over more years of productive life. They also may require fewer heifers, so they can capitalize on beef-cross calf sales, or sell their excess heifers at a healthy profit.

Or plain old internal herd growth, without the need to purchase replacements for herd expansion, is another potential benefit. In any case, it’s rarely wrong to strive to keep productive cows in the herd as long as possible.

“While a farm with good cow longevity is not guaranteed to be profitable, a farm with short longevity due to a high involuntary culling rate is not likely to be profitable,” Leiterman stated.

Dairy Heifer and Calf Values Remain in the Stratosphere

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 13:03:10 GMT

Prices for dairy replacement heifers and beef-cross calves remain out of this world, with both springers and newborn calves reaching astronomical levels. Holstein springers topped out in May at $4,200 per head in Pipestone, Minn., and newborn beef cross calves exceeded $1,600 per head in Wisconsin. How far and long this launch into record territory will last remains to be seen, but beef-cross breeding will continue to make a big bang in the markets for the foreseeable future.

According to the National Association of Animal Breeders , more than 81% of beef semen sold in the U.S. in 2024 was purchased by dairies, and USDA estimates predict the inventory of U.S. dairy heifers over 500 pounds will be the lowest ever recorded.

Your Next Read: The Hidden Cost of Heat Stress on the Unborn Calf

Replacement Heifer Prices Hang in Record Territory

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 13:27:39 GMT

It’s history in the making in U.S. dairy animal trade right now, as springer values stay knocking on the door of $4,000 per head, and calf prices continue to soar. Newborn beef-cross calves are bringing north of $1,000 per head nationwide. Ironically, those calves also are at least partially the source of climbing heifer values. In the January 2025 USDA Cattle Report , lactating dairy cows showed an annual tally of about 9.5 million head, up about 3,000 head from the previous year. But the count of dairy heifers 500 pounds and over fell nearly 40,000 head as dairy producers continue to reach for beef semen to raise high-in-demand crossbred calves. That demand is fueled by a dwindling U.S. beef cow herd, which the same report noted was the smallest in 64 years.

Heifer Prices

(Maureen Hanson)

Managing Heifer Inventories to Maintain Herd Size

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:15:45 GMT

Market costs for replacements are at an all-time high, ranging between $3,000 and $4,000 per head. Iowa State University Extension calculated heifer raising costs in 2024 to be just over $2,600 for 24 months. The difference in the expenses provides a financial opportunity for dairy farms that can raise their own replacements. Heifer inventories need to ensure that herd size is maintained. The amount of heifers needed on the dairy to maintain herd size is highly impacted by age at first calving and herd culling rates.

Age at First Calving

Heifers are unique to the farm in that they are the future of the dairy farm but do not provide income to the farm until they have their first calf. The optimal first calving age ranges between 22 and 24 months. According to Iowa State estimates, reducing the age at first calving by a month will save the dairy $93 per heifer. However, research has shown that calving too early (< 21 months) would hurt profitability in the long run because heifers would not reach their full milk production potential.

Proper growth rates are extremely important to reach optimal age at first calving. Body weight determines when heifers reach puberty, around 45 to 50% of mature weight. Too low of average daily gain can delay puberty, which then will have a snowball effect by delaying time to first breeding and age at first calving.

Delaying the age at first calving costs money and increases the heifer inventory needed to maintain herd size. A herd of 100 milking cows needs 5 to 6 more additional heifers for every two-month increase of age at first calving when their culling rate is 30%.

Culling Rate

To no surprise, the rate at which animals leave the herd has a significant impact on the replacement inventory. A herd of 100 milking cows with an age of first calving of 24 months needs an additional 4 to 5 heifers with every 2% increase in culling rate. Therefore, increasing the culling rate from 22% to 32% would require 22 additional heifers to keep the milking herd size at 100.

High market prices for heifers can significantly increase farm income for farms with excessive replacements. However, heifer inventories should be monitored closely. Small changes in culling rate and age at first calving significantly impact the number of replacements needed.

Your Next Read: The 5 Big Market Trends Dairy Farmers Need to Keep Their Eye on this Year

Where Will the Replacement Heifers Come From?

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:05:33 GMT

An unprecedented shift in the U.S. dairy cattle population could signal uncertainty ahead in terms of milk production, cow numbers, and prices – for both the milk and the animals.

At the center of the current conversation: heifers, and more specifically, lack of them. In the most recent USDA Cattle Inventory report, released January 31, 2025, the inventory of dairy heifers weighing 500 pounds or more totaled just 3.914 million head. That’s the lowest count for that population since 1978.

Included in the total are heifers expected to calve into the milking herd in 2025, estimated at 2.5 million head. That figure has dropped precipitously every year since 2017, when about 600,000 head of additional heifers freshened. The current number of heifers expected to calve is also the lowest since the USDA began tracking that figure in 2001.

The shift in heifer population nearly identically mirrors the adoption of beef crossbreeding to add more value to non-replacement dairy cattle. It’s currently doing just that. With the U.S. beef cow herd size also hovering at near-historic, low levels, demand for those beef-cross calves is high, leading to almost-unheard-of prices of $1,000/head or more for newborn calves.

Likewise, springing heifers are scarce -- and expensive -- on the open market. Holstein springers started topping $4,000/head on the high end in Pipestone, Minn. toward the end of 2024. And at the Turlock Livestock Auction Yard’s January Dairy Video Sale in Turlock, Calif., potloads of Holstein and Jersey springers brought an average of $3,650-3,700 and $2,750-2,900/head, respectively.

Tight heifer supplies mean herds are generally creating just enough heifers to meet their projected replacement needs. Meanwhile, the nation’s milking herd is not growing, continuing to hover at around 9.35 million head.
What remains to be seen is whether an aging dairy herd will affect total milk production if producers hang onto cows longer before marketing them for beef. Any hiccup, like bird flu or another unforeseen challenge, could leave producers scrambling to maintain herd size.

Finally, while many factors remain in play, one benefit of the changing supply-and-demand dynamic could be a boost in milk prices. The all-milk price forecast for 2025 is $23.05 per hundredweight, up about 50 cents year-over-year. A shift in heifer supplies will take at least two years to happen, so those benefits could be enjoyed relatively long term.

Your Next Read: Dairy’s Gold Rush: Replacements Heifers and Beef-on-Dairy Calves

Rising Beef Prices and Demand Fuel Big Change for the Dairy Industry

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

The beef cattle industry is evolving, and dairy producers are playing a pivotal role in that transformation. At the 2025 CattleCon, hosted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in San Antonio, Texas, Lance Zimmerman, a senior beef analyst at RaboBank, joined Agri-Talk host Chip Flory to break down the latest USDA Cattle Inventory Report.

Beef Demand Drives More Crossbreds
Despite the U.S. beef cattle inventory hitting a 64-year low, strong consumer demand has propelled beef prices to record highs throughout 2024 and into 2025.

“We’re sitting here today coming out of 2024 with higher per-capita beef consumption than we had in 2022, and we thought that was the cycle high. And yet, we are pushing record-high beef prices—demand is exceptionally good,” Zimmerman noted.

With beef prices remaining strong, dairy producers have fine-tuned their repro programs to capitalize on these market conditions. Many are utilizing sexed dairy semen on their highest-performing cows to ensure a steady supply of replacement heifers while breeding the rest of the herd with beef semen. This approach results in crossbred calves better suited for beef production, offering improved feed efficiency, enhanced carcass characteristics, and greater market appeal compared to straight dairy steers.

The Ripple Effect
Even as more dairy producers adopt beef-on-dairy breeding strategies, overall calf numbers have remained stable. “We had a very prolific cow herd last year,” Zimmerman noted. “And I think part of that is due to the beef-on-dairy mix. We’re keeping these cattle viable longer and managing them more intentionally with better health, genetics, and overall care throughout the system.”

One notable outcome of this shift on the dairy side of the equation is a tighter supply of dairy replacement heifers, which has contributed to rising prices. “We have dairy replacement heifers that have hit $4,000 a head in some areas,” Zimmerman said, emphasizing the supply constraints caused by more selective breeding practices.

USDA data confirms this supply squeeze. The latest annual Cattle Report revealed that as of January 1, only 3.914 million dairy heifers were available nationwide—a 0.9% drop from the previous year and the lowest inventory recorded since 1978. Additionally, USDA made a significant downward revision to its 2024 estimate, cutting its projection by 108,000 heifers to 3.951 million.

Another factor influencing cattle supply is the ongoing decline in veal production. “We’ve seen a long-term trend of fewer calves going into veal production, and that’s expedited in recent years,” Zimmerman noted. This shift means that more dairy progeny calves are staying in the fed cattle supply, further reinforcing the beef-on-dairy movement.

Beef Demand Holds Strong
While the genetic landscape of the beef supply chain is transforming, consumer demand remains resilient. “The strength of demand has been incredible—beef demand is at 30-year highs,” Zimmerman said. He points out that, despite rising prices, beef remains relatively affordable compared to historical income ratios. “In 2014-15, the average consumer had to work 14 and a half minutes to afford a pound of beef. In 2024, they only have to work 13 minutes.”

With consumer demand for beef remaining strong, the beef-on-dairy sector has become a crucial asset to the beef industry. It has also helped dairy farmers diversify by adding a second source of income during a time when milk price margins continue to remain tight.

Click here to hear Zimmerman’s full conversation with Chip Flory on Agri-Talk.

Keep Replacement Heifers Thriving this Winter: Three Expert Tips You Need to Know

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:51:20 GMT

When dairy farmers think about animals impacted by cold stress, calves are often the first that come to mind. Their smaller size and limited fat reserves make them especially vulnerable to harsh winter conditions. However, it’s important to remember that cold stress doesn’t just affect calves—it can also significantly impact heifers.

Younger animals, like post-weaned heifers, are particularly susceptible as they have less developed coats, and higher energy needs to maintain their core body temperature. For dairy farmers, understanding the signs of cold stress and implementing preventative measures across all age groups in the herd is essential for maintaining health, productivity, and growth during the winter months. While calves often receive extra attention, ensuring proper care for heifers and older animals can make a big difference in the overall success of the operation during the colder seasons. For these replacements to grow and thrive, dairy farmers must take proactive steps to prevent cold stress and minimize associated health issues.

Daniela Roland, dairy extension educator at Pennsylvania State University, provides the following tips for providing adequate care to replacement heifers during frigid temps.

Understanding Cold Stress

While lactating cows are relatively tolerant of cold temperatures and can handle conditions below 18°F when equipped with a heavy winter coat, young heifers face challenges at temperatures below 32°F.

“Normally, a heifer’s winter coat, plus their natural metabolic processes, like rumination, can keep them warm,” Roland says. “But during extremely cold temperatures - especially if there is inadequate housing, lack of dry bedding, insufficient nutrition, or a combination of these - heifers may experience cold stress.”

Housing and Bedding

Dry, well-bedded pens are essential to help heifers tolerate winter conditions. Bedding materials like straw, shavings, or corn fodder should be clean, dry, and absorbent to retain body heat.

“One way to test the dryness of heifer pens is the knee test,” Roland says. “To do this, try dropping to your knees in several areas around the pen. If your knees are still clean and dry after 10–15 seconds of kneeling on the bedding, then the bedding is sufficient. But if your pants are dirty or damp, more fresh bedding should be added.”

Wet or muddy coats reduce the insulating properties of a heifer’s hair, also increasing their susceptibility to cold stress. Excess manure or mud buildup should prompt farmers to add fresh bedding or clean pens more frequently.

Additionally, heifer housing should allow for adequate air exchange without creating drafts. Insufficient ventilation can increase the risk of respiratory diseases like bovine respiratory disease (BRD), which costs farmers an average of $252 per case and can delay a heifer’s growth and first calving, according to Roland.

Proper heifer housing is another critical factor to consider during cold weather. Housing should shield heifers from environmental extremes such as harsh winds, heavy snow, and freezing temperatures while maintaining a comfortable and healthy environment.

One key aspect of housing is ventilation. While barns and shelters must prevent drafts, they should also allow for proper air exchange to reduce humidity and prevent the buildup of harmful gases like ammonia. It’s essential to monitor heifers for signs of respiratory distress, such as coughing, labored breathing, or nasal discharge, as these could indicate inadequate airflow or other health issues. If respiratory problems are detected, improving ventilation should be a priority.

Heifers housed outside also need special attention.

“Heifers housed outdoors need to have access to either natural or constructed windbreaks,” Roland adds. “Wind significantly reduces the actual temperature, increasing cold stress on heifers.”

Nutrition for Winter Growth

In colder weather, heifers expend more energy to stay warm, making proper nutrition vital. Farmers should aim for daily growth rates of 1.75 pounds for large breeds and 1.3 pounds for smaller breeds to ensure heifers reach optimal breeding size.

“Data has shown that undersized heifers may calve later than the desired age range of 22 to 24 months. These smaller heifers tend to be more prone to calving problems and less productive,” Roland says. “Farmers should work with their nutritionist to make sure that their heifers have enough energy in their diet to help protect them from the cold weather and to ensure proper growth.”

Water Access

Water availability is another critical factor in winter care. Frozen or excessively cold water can limit intake, reducing feed consumption and energy availability.

“Dairy heifers between the ages of 5 and 24 months will drink about 3.8 to 9.6 gallons of water per day,” Roland adds. “Monitoring for frozen waterers is important during the extreme colder temperatures.”

Why It Matters

Investing in proper heifer care during winter ensures these replacements grow to their genetic potential and transition into productive lactating cows. By focusing on housing, bedding, nutrition, and water, farmers can safeguard their herd’s health, prevent growth setbacks, and optimize future productivity. Taking these steps helps ensure your heifers thrive, even in the coldest months.

Replacement Heifer Prices Hit Monumental Highs

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 22:14:37 GMT

Compared to 5 years ago, today’s Holstein springer values are double to triple and still on the rise. As an example, October 2019 prices for high-quality springers in Turlock, Calif. ranged from $1,300-1,600/head, compared to $2,800-3,600 for the same month in 2024. Even compared to a year ago, springer values have seen a healthy bump, jumping from $2,400-2,675 in Pipestone, Minn. in October 2023 to about $3,700-3,850 today.

Calf prices, too, have made a stunning transformation. In October 2019, Holstein heifer calves were practically being given away at $5-50/head in one Wisconsin market, and $18-26/head at another in Pennsylvania. Today’s heifer calf values hang steadily in the $300-500 range nationwide, as beef-cross calves also continue a mind-boggling run with current values still sometimes exceeding $1,000/head. In the most recent Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Report , USDA economists predict that tight dairy replacement heifer inventories will keep a lid on U.S. milk production as producers hang onto aging cows to keep their stalls full.

	Springing Heifers		Heifer Calves	Beef Cross Calves
Location (sale date)	Supreme/Top	Approved/Medium	90-120 pounds	60-100 pounds

Turlock, Calif. (10-25-24)	$2,800-3,600	$2,000-2,700	--	--
Lomira, Wis. (10-30-24)	$1,800-2,400	$1,200-1,700	$290-550	$700-1,080
Pipestone, Minn. (10-17-24)	$3,700-3,850	$3,500-3,700	No test	No test
New Holland, Pa. (10-24-24)	No report	No report	$500-775	$750-1,050

Why Some Farmers are Making the Big Switch from Dairy to Beef Production

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 20:25:41 GMT

While beef-on-dairy production continues to grow in the U.S., it was a novel concept in 2018 when it came to the attention of Ryan Sterry, regional dairy educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

“A few colleagues and myself were noticing more chatter about this, more farms were experimenting with it,” Sterry recalls.

Fast forward to 2024, and beef-on-dairy is a significant trend that continues to build. CattleFax predicts U.S. beef-on-dairy cattle numbers will reach between 4 million and 5 million head – roughly 15% of the cattle harvested annually – as early as 2026.

In a wide-ranging conversation on The Dairy Podcast Show with host Dr. Gail Carpenter, state dairy Extension specialist for Iowa, Sterry shared some of his early insights and experiences with beef-on-dairy as well as other business opportunities producers have enbraced.

“We’re seeing all sorts of different strategies out there today,” he says. “Some producers say, ‘We’re just going to deal with the milking herd,’ because they can source their replacement heifers, more economically and get better genetics, from another herd. I have other producers who have backed off from beef-on-dairy because they have an outlet for fresh heifers, and that’s another business strategy for them.”

Still, other dairy producers, because of low milk prices in recent years, have decided to transition to beef production. Sterry says he and colleague Bill Halfman, University of Wisconsin Extension beef outreach specialist, have worked with a number of dairy producers who have decided to move exclusively to beef.

Sterry outlines five areas for dairy producers wanting to make the move to beef to think through in the process of making the switch:

1. Start With The Right Animal

Sterry says it’s important for producers to know their goals as they select breeding stock.

While some producers opt to use their home-grown crossbred heifers as breeding stock for starting their beef enterprise, Sterry doesn’t encourage the practice. The reason – because a beef cow could be in the herd for eight years or longer, and will have a long-lasting impact on production quality, he encourages producers to start their beef enterprise with full-blooded animals.

“The caution that we definitely want to put out there is those animals are going to retain some dairy characteristics in their genetics for generations down the line,” he says.

His recommendation: “Decide what emphasis on growth, carcass and maternal traits best fit your production and marketing goals and seek out those cattle to create a solid foundation.”

2. Evaluate Facilities

Dairy operations can often be retrofitted or revamped successfully for beef production. Sterry says bunk and housing space need to be evaluated to prevent the potential for crowding.

Also, consider whether any facilities need repairs or if there are potential hazards that need to be addressed prior to bringing animals into building facilities or lots.

3. Nutritional Needs

“In the transition from dairy to beef, one of the bigger things that we start talking about is that feeding a beef animal is different,” Sterry says. “You’ll need to adjust your expectations for the nutrition program in a cow herd as there’s not multiple rations being used.”

Instead, cow-calf and stocker operations typically rely more on forages such as pasture, crop residues, cover crops and harvested forages.

“Feed costs are approximately 60% of the annual costs of cow-calf enterprises. Letting the cows harvest their own feed by grazing and managing harvested feed storage and feeding waste are critical for controlling costs,” Sterry says.

He adds that finely ground corn is not a good fit in beef finishing rations and can cause rumen acidosis.

“Coarse corn is better for beef animals. Ultra-fine ground corn does not work well, and that’s something we’ve had to uneducate some of our dairy producers on,” he says.

4. Stockmanship Requirements

Sterry says dairy producers often tell him that because they’ve worked with cattle all their life they don’t need to work on their handling practices. But Sperry says beef cattle are a different animal.

“Beef cattle are not used to being handled every day, so dairy producers need to give some thought to stockmanship,” he says.

Part of the reason he emphasizes that is for practical safety considerations. Plus, cattle remember how they were handled in the past, and their behavior – whether skittish or compliant – will often reflect what they remember.

5. The Need to Market Versus Sell

Sterry says dairy producers are often accustomed to selling week-old calves and market cows they don’t want to hang on to for too long.

“When we’re trying to move them off the farm on a timely basis, a lot of times we’re selling ones and twos every week or every other week. With beef cattle, we frame the process as needing to market versus just sell,” he says.

To educate themselves, Sterry encourages dairy producers to attend local sales to see what kind of beef animal buyers are looking to purchase.

“With marketing, you’re advocating for yourself with a buyer, putting the best group of cattle together that you can, and trying to move away from the mentality of ‘I’ll just sell ones and twos,’” he says. “It’s an education process, and sitting through some sales can help.”

The complete conversation between Sterry and Carpenter is available here: Ryan Sterry: Beef x Dairy Crossing

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3 Causes of Blood Calf Stools (Calf Scours)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 21:03:20 GMT

The sight of bloody calf scours is a disturbing one, but the condition is not always fatal. University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory director Keith Poulsen says pinpointing the cause of scours through diagnostics is the best approach to effective treatment, and prevention of future cases.

“The source of scours tends to follow a continuum consistent with age of the calf,” Poulsen told the audience at the recent Dairy Calf and Heifer Association annual conference. “Scours in the first few days of life is very challenging to diagnose. But after that, it becomes easier to nail down the cause based on how old the animal is.”

Poulsen pointed out that not all scours are caused by bacteria. Viruses and parasites also play a role, and inconsistent feeding or rapid dietary changes can upset the gut flora and cause “nutritional” scours.

“If you see bloody scours, they typically are the result of one of three organisms – Salmonella, coronavirus or coccidia” said Poulsen. “These three causes may overlap a bit in age, but knowing about the presence of blood, the calf’s age, and other factors such as seasonality, helps us zero in on the necessary diagnostic tests pretty quickly.” His descriptions of each organisms include:

Salmonella

The earliest cases of bloody scours likely will be caused by a strain of salmonella, and typically will surface when calves are 4 to 10 days old. Salmonella is a bacteria that likes the warm and humid summer temperatures, but is very adaptive to survive in odd environments like the dry and dusty corners of a calf barn. Poulsen stressed that there are many serotypes of salmonella that are pathogenic to calves, some of which also can be highly infective in humans. Salmonella Newport is one such zoonotic bacteria that frequent infects human caretakers. Salmonella Dublin, although uncommon, can cause serious illness in humans. Salmonella Heidelberg has emerged recently as a highly potent calf-killer, causing death losses in 25 to 60% of affected calves in as swiftly as 4 to 8 hours. S. Heidelberg is resistant to many antibiotics, and has now been diagnosed in people and cattle in 17 states.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus and its usual companion, rotavirus, surface in calves from about 5 to 30 days of age. While the two often occur in tandem, coronavirus is the one that causes bloody scours, and also may cause respiratory symptoms. About 70% of adult cows shed coronavirus in their feces, and it has a long survival life on-farm, surviving in manure for up to 9 months. Often called “winter dysentery,” coronavirus loves cold weather, and also can be spread from calf-to-calf.

Coccidiosis

Infection by the coccidia parasite can occur from 1-2 weeks to several months of age. The parasite has a 3-week incubation period from the time of infection to the shedding infectious parasites into the environment. Most of these infections (95%) are subclinical, but other stressors on the animal, and/or an overwhelming dose of coccidia will cause visible symptoms, including the tell-tale presence of blood in the stool. Coccidiosis occurs more frequently in warm, moist climates; a hard frost is helpful in breaking its reproduction cycle in the environment.

How do you treat a calf with blood in its stool?

Interestingly, the three causes of bloody scours are three different types of organisms – a bacteria, a virus and a parasite. Poulsen stressed that antibiotics only are effective on bacteria. And even if the cause is a bacterial, not every bug will succumb to every drug.

“This shows the importance of diagnostic work,” he stated. “For example, coronavirus often is confused with Salmonella because they present similar symptoms in a parallel timeframe. But effectively treating and preventing the two diseases requires different approaches.”

In all cases of calf scours, Poulsen said supportive therapy such as extra fluids and pain management often will best serve the calf. If the cause is bacterial, antibiotic sensitivity testing may be necessary to select the most effective treatment and bring an outbreak under control.

“The more information you and your veterinarian can provide at the beginning of the diagnostic process, the more helpful information you will receive back,” stated Poulsen. “We strive to provide answers in a timely and cost-effective manner, which we can do best with more information at the start.”

For more on calf management, read:

Is Beef Breeding Derailing the U.S. Dairy Industry?

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:27:30 GMT

Beef-on-dairy breeding has revolutionized the U.S. cattle industry, shored up dwindling fed-beef cattle supplies, and added considerable black ink to the bottom lines of dairies in recent years.

But is it a phenomenon gone too far? Regardless of industry, mega-trends can carry with them unintended consequences. Veteran dairy data expert and thought leader Steve Eicker, DVM, fears the lure of lucrative near-term cash-outs on beef-cross calves may be altering the course of the U.S. dairy business to damaging degrees.

Eicker, co-founder of Valley Agricultural Software and its popular Dairy Comp 305 herd management software, acknowledged that beef-cross calves have plugged many holes in the nation’s beef animal supply. At just over 28 million head, the U.S. beef cow herd size is at a 70-plus-year low.

Feedlots have welcomed beef-cross calves to keep their pens full, and at premium prices to boot. This past summer, newborn beef cross calves sold for as high as $1,000/head or more, with $600-800/head the norm.

But at what true cost to the dairy industry? Eicker believes the chinks in the armor are beginning to show and will become more apparent in the months and years ahead. The factors that are being affected include:

Heifers are in short supply – Creating more beef-cross calves has resulted in less opportunity to produce dairy heifer calves. In just two years, from the start of 2022 to 2024, the total number of replacement dairy heifers in the U.S. has dropped more than 10%, part of a 7-consecutive-year decline in the nation’s heifer inventory. At slightly over 4 million dairy heifers, the national supply is at a 20-year low. What’s more, just 2.59 million heifers are projected to calve and enter the nation’s lactating herd this year -- by far the lowest inventory in 22 years of USDA projections. Commensurately, heifer prices have climbed precipitously through 2024 as dairies scramble to secure them.
Removals have slowed – Marketing dairy cows for beef has also hit record-low territory. Because dairies are having a hard time finding enough heifers to keep their stalls filled, they are hanging onto cows longer. In the week ending July 6, 2024, just 40,189 dairy cows were slaughtered nationwide, the lowest total in any week since Christmas 2009, and more than 20% lower than the same week in 2023. By August 17, only 1.74 million head of dairy cows were sold for beef this year, compared to 2.04 million head in the same time period last year. Eicker said the detrimental effects of this data are three-fold. First, dairies give up the potential of introducing the most current genetics into the herd that heifers deliver. Second, “those cows that are removed are in far worse condition, and thus bring less income at salvage,” noted Eicker. Consequently, the beef supply is also shorted by those lighter cows that are in worse condition. Third, he is concerned that delaying the removal of market cows will negatively impact their condition and welfare.
Milk production is down – “U.S. milk production is dropping because we have far too many low- producing cows that we cannot replace,” declared Eicker. Again, the numbers tell the story. Total milk production has flatlined at just over 225 billion pounds annually since 2021, after growing incrementally each year since 2014. In the most recent USDA Milk Production Report , average milk production per cow dropped 13 pounds/head for April-June 2024 compared to the same window in 2023, and total milk production for the quarter was down 624 million pounds year-over-year.

Eicker said the beef-on-dairy movement may prove to support the old adage of, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” And he is fearful that the current inventory situation will prevent dairies from maximizing their ability to capitalize on currently rising milk prices, because they simply will not have the animals to do it.

“That short-term increase in calf revenue is dwarfed by the fact that they will be forced to keep their market cows many months longer,” he noted. Plus, with rising heifer values, there is real money to be made again raising and selling heifers. “What dairy would want $600 now instead of $1,600 in two years?”

Your Next Read: Beef-on-Dairy: How to Make Successful Semen Selection Strategies

Sensational Calf and Heifer Prices Go from Hot to Warm

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 13:48:30 GMT

The runaway dairy heifer and calf markets of 2024 have cooled a bit at summer’s end. While still in healthy territory, Holstein springer values were steady to down in August in California and Wisconsin, but still posting in $3,000/head territory in Minnesota. Holstein heifer calf values were all over the board, at $200-950/head. Beef-cross calf prices remain robust, but tempered slightly into the $400-600’s in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

	Springing Heifers		Heifer Calves	Beef Cross Calves
Location (sale date)	Supreme/Top	Approved/Medium	90-120 pounds	60-100 pounds

Turlock, Calif. (8-23-24)	$2,250-2,850	$1,600-2,100	--	--
Lomira, Wis. (8-31-24)	$1,500-2,200	$1,200-1,400	$200-350	$450-640
Pipestone, Minn. (8-15-24)	$3,025-3,300	$2,850-3,025	No test	$600-675
New Holland, Pa. (8-22-24)	No report	No report	$810-950	$775-985

Strong Summer Prices for Dairy Heifers, Calves

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:02:15 GMT

Holstein springers tread into $3,000/head territory again this month, roughly double year-ago values. There was little test for Holstein heifer calves, but beef-cross calf values continue to shine nationwide, with $700/head and upward the norm for newborn calves.

Hot weather, avian influenza, and scarce replacement heifers were noted as the three main factors contributing to tight milk supplies and healthier prices in the most recent T.C. Jacoby Dairy Market Report . Pipestone Livestock Market in Pipestone, Minn. also noted “very strong markets and lots of demand for open heifers” in early August.

	Springing Heifers		Heifer Calves	Beef Cross Calves
Location (sale date)	Supreme/Top	Approved/Medium	90-120 pounds	60-100 pounds

Turlock, Calif. (8-2-24)	$2,500-3,250	$1,800-2,400	--	--
Lomira, Wis. (8-2-24)	$1,500-2,200	$1,200-1,400	$380-500	$720-1,010
Pipestone, Minn. (7-18-24)	$3,100-3,300	$3,000-3,100	No test	$750-925
New Holland, Pa. (7-22-24)	No report	No report	No test	$800-1,100

Dairy Replacement Heifers, Calves Continue to Gain Ground

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:28:45 GMT

In the most recent USDA National Dairy Comprehensive Report , third-trimester bred dairy heifers averaged $2,050 nationwide, an increase of more than 40% from the same month’s report a year ago . National auction reports bear out a similar trend, with two markets breaking into $3,000 territory for Holstein springers in the past month. Similarly, USDA data indicates Holstein heifer calf values up more than 150%, from $180/head last year to $465/head today. Beef-cross calves continue to fetch astounding values of more than $1,000/head in some markets.

	Springing Heifers		Heifer Calves	Beef Cross Calves
Location (sale date)	Supreme/Top	Approved/Medium	90-120 pounds	60-100 pounds

Turlock, Calif. (6-28-24)	$2,000-3,200	No test	--	--
Lomira, Wis. (6-29-24)	$1,500-2,200	$1,200-1,400	$300-400	$680-1,000
Pipestone, Minn. (6-20-24)	$3,300-3,350	$3,200-3,300	No test	$800-850
New Holland, Pa. (6-24-24)	No report	No report	$925-975	$900-1,085

Why Traditional Techniques Still Work for Raising Heifers

Tue, 14 May 2024 13:00:25 GMT

Before he began managing a 14,000-head dairy heifer-growing yard, Erik Mohrlang worked in feeding management at a beef feedlot. As it turns out, many of the skills he learned in his first job have transferred handily to his current assignment.

As general manager of the custom-heifer-rearing division of Feldpausch Holsteins, Fort Morgan, Colo., Mohrlang is charged with raising heifers for 8 customers from 9 dairies based in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin. Most heifers arrive after weaning at approximately 300-400 pounds and are returned to their home dairies as springers.

Mohrlang said the cattle-management fundamentals that have transferred from feedlot work to dairy heifer care include:

Easy on arrival – When a new load of heifers arrives, they are provided plenty of dry, comfortable resting space and long-stem grass hay. TMR is gradually introduced as a top-dress. “Since we started feeding hay on arrival, we’ve cut about 2 weeks off of the transition to their full ration,” he noted. “After about a week, they’re ready to really take off and start eating.”
Coccidiosis prevention – Just like when he managed feedlot cattle, Mohrlang doses every animal with a Corid® drench treatment for coccidiosis on arrival. He said it’s an easy and affordable prevention tool that helps keep stressed heifers healthy and gaining. And he prefers the drench to dry coccidiostats because the dose is more accurately and completely delivered at a time when heifers aren’t eating well yet.
Salt blocks – A practice that Mohrlang called “an old rancher trick,” free-choice iodine salt blocks are available to heifers at all times. He believes the salt availability helps provide immune-system support and keeps one of his biggest disease challenges – pinkeye – at bay.
Lick tubs – Likewise, all heifers have access to “stress tubs” that contain molasses, vitamins, and minerals. Mohrlang believes the tubs provide worthy nutritional support, alleviate boredom, and keep animals from chewing on fencing and equipment. “I don’t have concrete proof that they work, but they are affordable, and they sure don’t hurt anything.”
Fly control – Mohrlang also learned in his previous life at the feedlot that a big part of fly control is eliminating vegetative roosting sites where flies can breed. The desert climate of Colorado results in little mud or standing water. So, by keeping weeds and grass mowed, the property stays tidy and fly populations low. “We even took some trees out, which is considered fairly sacrilegious around here, but that also has helped with fly control,” he said.

When asked about the stressors of hauling cattle such long distances, Mohrlang shared a unique anecdote that dictates his heifer-travel strategy. “I heard an animal behavior expert speak one time. She had done a lot of research on cattle that were hauled to and from Hawaii for up to 3 weeks in barge containers,” he recalled.

“Her results showed that the only time those cattle showed significant signs of stress were during loading and unloading,” Mohrlang continued. “So, we manage our transportation with those findings in mind. I would rather haul straight through and get them here sooner, versus stopping and unloading cattle to ‘rest.’ I truly believe they can have more rest and less stress if we get them to their destination faster, with no unloading and re-loading in between.”

Fewer Cows are Being Culled, Here's the Main Reason Why

Wed, 01 May 2024 13:52:02 GMT

There has been much anticipation that culling would increase significantly due to continued low milk prices. Milk prices have been low for an extended period, but culling has not reduced cow numbers as anticipated. There have been farms exiting the dairy business with a substantial number of them due to smaller farms selling out because many have reached an age where they have decided to retire. Many do not have family members that wish to continue the dairy farm. Many of those cows have moved to another operation and the plant space is being assumed by another farm that wishes to expand. It is known that cows raised in a tie-stall barn often cannot adapt to a free-stall barn, making that generally not a good fit. However, cows continue to move from one farm to the next.

Cow numbers have been declining with the U.S. dairy herd totaling 9.334 million head in March, a decline of 98,000 head from March 2023. This was 12,000 more cows than there were in January. Cows are being held onto more willingly due to the expensive heifer replacements. Over the past few years, the bar has been raised with many of the cows on dairy farms maintaining high milk production leaving fewer to move to the slaughter plant.

The March Milk Production report showed a decrease in cow numbers of 7,000 head after increasing by 9,000 head in February leaving cow numbers somewhat steady so far this year. One reason we may not see dairy cattle slaughter as high may be due to the beef-on-dairy trend. More dairy cattle are being bred with beef to increase the value of the calves and generate greater farm income. This leaves fewer dairy cattle that will be sent to the market.

This is evident when looking at the Livestock Slaughter reports. The March report showed dairy cattle slaughter down from February and substantially lower than March 2023. March dairy cattle slaughter totaled 244,600 head, down 8,100 head from February and 61,600 head less than a year ago. This is the lowest slaughter for March since 2009. So far this year, monthly dairy cattle slaughter has been significantly below the previous 4 years.

(Farm Journal)

It will be interesting to see what the rest of the year brings, especially if milk prices improve as the year progresses. Current Class III futures indicated prices may be somewhere in the $18.00 range with Class IV contracts in the $20.00 to $21.00 range.

For more industry news, read:

Robin Schmahl is a commodity broker with AgDairy, the dairy division of John Stewart & Associates Inc. (JSA). JSA is a full-service commodity brokerage firm based out of St. Joseph, MO. Robin’s office is located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Robin may be reached at 877-256-3253 or through the website www.agdairy.com .

The thoughts expressed and the basic data from which they are drawn are believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Hypothetical or simulated performance results have certain inherent limitations. Simulated results do not represent actual trading. Simulated trading programs are subject to the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. There is risk of loss in trading commodity futures and options on futures. It may not be suitable for everyone. This material has been prepared by an employee or agent of JSA and is in the nature of a solicitation. By accepting this communication, you acknowledge and agree that you are not, and will not rely solely on this communication for making trading decisions.

Beef-on-Dairy Impacts the Overall Dairy Heifer Discussion

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:08:11 GMT

While spring has arrived, higher milk prices have not. The immediate concerns on most producers across the U.S. is just how long low milk prices will continue.

Independent dairy financial advisor, Gary Sipiorski, says producers are trying to find ways to lower expenses without impacting herd health or milk production. He shares that producers need to revisit their heifer inventory and calculate just how many heifers they will need in the coming year.

“They cost $2,200 to raise or more,” Sipiorski says. “Beeding for beef right now is paying up. Some producers are even thinking of selling all their heifers. That is a serious decision.”

The high prices of beef are boosting dairy producers bottom line, as week-old beef crosses are going for a pretty penny. Sipiorski says producers are now trying to decide how long they should keep a cow.

“Three, four, five lactations,” he says. “These cows are paid to produce a lot of milk, however, they are still worth a lot of money as beef. And, you cannot afford to have any of them to die on the farm.”

At the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association Annual Meeting in Westminster, Colo., Dr. Geoff Smith, dairy technical services veterinarian with Zoetis, says that beef on dairy has been a blessing and a curse to dairy producers.

“It has been a blessing for many reasons, the biggest one being the extra income it has brought to dairies,” he says. “Many farms have fallen so in love with producing beef-on-dairy that they don’t have the number of replacement heifers needed. And they’re not able to make proper culling decisions because they don’t have the numbers of replacements in the pipeline.”

Although, according to Jim Salfer with University of Minnesota, producers do not seem to have an appetite for increasing the number of heifer calves that they are raising.

“A lot of it is because of the cash flow situation on farms and the extreme value of these crossbred calves,” he says. “Most of the farms that I work with have no appetite for even raising a few extra heifers.”

Salfer points out that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) will be crucial to watch to see if that results in additional culling.

“One other potential fly in the ointment is if states start restricting movement because of the HPAI breakout,” he says. “It seems like mortality levels are low, so that may not be likely.”

Low milk prices force producers to calculate how to generate extra profit and many have found through beef-on-dairy and cull cows checks. The key for producers going forward will be maintaining the right number of lactating cows going through the parlor and ensuring the right number of replacement heifers can keep that pipeline full. This is an on-going conversation that will continue to unfold as long as the beef market stays hot.

Check Out These Beef-on-Dairy Stories:

America's Heifer Shortage is Preventing Expansion. Is the Big Money for Beef-on-Dairy a Factor?

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 20:44:54 GMT

Dairy herd expansion is unlikely to occur quickly as the beef industry continues to bid up for young stock and dairy heifers remain in short supply. Dairy producers can make more money breeding for beef operations than they can producing heifers for their own farms or their neighbor’s operation, according to Sarina Sharp, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report.

At a late-January livestock auction in New Holland, Pennsylvania, cattle feeders paid an average of just over $414 for newborn Holstein bull calves, the highest price in eight years. But dairy-beef crossbred calves brought a whopping $675/head at the same auction and crossbred heifer calves commanded a similar price.

“The beef industry is short of young stock, and it will remain so for at least another 18 months. If this margin holds, a 1,000-cow dairy that produces crossbred bull calves can expect to earn about $100,000 more in 2024 than it would selling Holstein bull calves. High beef calf prices are sending a clear signal to the dairy industry to make more beef calves and fewer dairy heifers,” Sharp said. “And the industry is listening.”

For six consecutive years, dairy heifer inventories have declined. In its biannual Cattle report released last month, USDA cut its previous estimate for the number of dairy heifers available on January 1, 2023. USDA now estimates that the industry started 2023 with 8.3% fewer heifers than it had at the start of 2022. That’s a substantial reduction from its initial estimate that showed a 2.3% decline, Sharp noted.

USDA estimated that on January 1 of this year, there were 4.059 million dairy heifers. While that was only a 0.35% drop from 2023’s steep decline, the decline still marks the smallest heifer inventory in 20 years, according to Sharp’s calculations.

USDA also slashed its estimate of heifers expected to calve and enter the milk-cow herd in 2023. The department’s initial forecast called for a 2% year-over-year drop. Now USDA forecasts 7% fewer heifers were ready to enter the milk herd at the start of last year. Mature heifer inventories ae also expected to decline 1% this year. Just 2.59 million heifers are likely to calve and enter the dairy herd in 2024, by far the lowest inventory in USDA’s 22 years of projections, Sharp noted.

“The decline in heifers in the final months of 2023 explains why the dairy herd shrunk despite unusually low cull rates,” Sharp said. “Waning heifer inventories will ensure that growth in the U.S. dairy herd will be slow and costly. If the industry develops an appetite to expand, already lofty heifer values will shoot upward, raising the cost to fill a new barn. The increasing popularity of crossbreeding suggests that the heifer shortage will continue for years, reducing how quickly the industry can respond to high milk prices.”

For more on heifers, read:

FDA Grants Approval for Replacement Heifer Starter Enhancements

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:48:32 GMT

Over the past year, producers of feedlot-bound cattle have been able to use a combination of Pennchlor®(chlortetracycline Type A medicated article) and Rumensin® (monensin Type A medicated article) in their starter rations. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved use of the combination in starter rations for dairy and beef replacement heifers as well.

Pennchlor offers therapeutic potential to treat common calfhood pathogens, while Rumensin affords performance enhancement based on coccidiosis control. The two products’ manufacturers stated the extension of FDA-approved labeling for replacement heifers offers a more comprehensive solution for the health and growth of calves on a wider range of production tracks.

They said the combination of Pennchlor and Rumensin effectively treats bacterial enteritis caused by Escherichia coli and bacterial pneumonia caused by Pasteurella multocida, provided these pathogens are susceptible to chlortetracycline. Additionally, it promotes an increased rate of weight gain and aids in the prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii.

“With these expanded claims, we are not only enhancing animal health but also giving producers more flexibility to adapt their treatment and feed programs and to optimize performance in their dairy and beef replacement heifers,” stated Dr. Padraig Lucey, Elanco dairy technical consultant.

He added that at a time when input costs -- including feed -- are above historic levels, the ability to use these products in combination gives producers more options to improve the sustainability and efficiency of their business.

While Rumensin does not fall under Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) regulations, Pennchlor does. Federal law restricts medicated feed containing this VFD drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

Contact your Elanco or Pharmgate representative or your cattle veterinarian and/or nutritionist for additional information. Labeling information and VFD forms can be located here .

For more on calf health, read:

Dairy Heifer Supply Tightens

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:58:07 GMT

The prevalent question being asked is just how it will be before milk prices increase significantly and move back up to 2022 levels. We did see record milk prices in 2022 and maybe matching those highs might not be feasible, but it would certainly be nice to see price quite a bit higher than they currently are. There are varying ideas as to what it will take to see significantly higher milk prices with most of them feasible to some degree.

Now if we think back to later 2021, culling increased substantially for a few months as low milk prices moved farmers into selling animals aggressively to boost income and reduce the expense of feeding cattle that were not top producers. The milk supply did not tighten to the extent that there was a shortage, but the perception of a shortage is what drove milk prices higher. Buyers of dairy products were concerned about the potential for a tighter supply and wanted to make sure they would have product to fill orders. Thus, a buying frensy took place for a few months which drove milk prices to record highs. The culling slowed down and eventually the concern subsided with cow number remaining below a year ago, but numbers increased from month to month. This took away the concern and milk prices have been lower ever since.

The level of culling has not increased as had been anticipated this time as farmers have been holding onto cows even though cull cow prices have been high. One reason may be due to most of the low producing cows having been culled and what is in the stalls are cows that are too good to cull. Another aspect could be that replacement numbers have tightened and are not as abundant as they had been and what is available is commanding high prices. This brings the industry into a very interesting position. As you can remember what happened after a period when sexed semen became available, it was embraced quickly as farmers always wanted more heifers for replacements. Over time, there was an abundance of heifers resulting in increased cow numbers and higher milk output.

Recently, there has been much interest in beef on dairy. Beef prices were escalating due to heavy culling of the beef head due to drought coupled with strong demand for beef. Dairy farmers found that breeding lower end cows to beef bulls netted huge price benefits for the calves. So, the popularity of beef on dairy grew and remains popular. However, the result is being felt due to tight heifer replacements which may be limiting the amount of culling activity and limiting the ability of some farms to expand. We are now seeing the substantial decline of beef cattle prices and a substantial increase of heifer replacement and cow prices. This will reduce the value of beef on dairy calves over time.

(Farm Journal)

However, it most likely will have an impact on milk prices as replacements will not be as available to take the place of culled cow and milk production will decline. The July Cattle Inventory report already showed the percentage of heifer to milk cows at 38.8% and the lowest ratio since July 1997. The January report may show an even tighter number in comparison to the previous years. This may eventually tighten milk supply resulting in higher milk prices. If, at the same time, demand improves, we could see record prices again as we experienced in 2022. The result of this would again be to breed for heifer calves as they could be worth more than beef calves as farmers want to build heifer inventory. The issue with all of this is that these cycles do not change overnight and will take a few years to turn. Over time, there could be some good milk prices as the market adjusts.

Stop Raising ‘Peter Pan’ Heifers

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:43:05 GMT

Isn’t there a small piece in all of us that wishes we could never grow up? To stay young, wild and free just like Peter Pan and his adventures on the island of Neverland? While it’s a whimsical dream we all wish could come true, the reality of growing up is something we all must face, including the heifers on our farm.

According to Gavin Staley, DVM and technical service specialist at Diamond V, dairy farmers across the country are facing a new kind of pandemic – immature heifers entering the milking herd. These animals seem inconspicuous at first but have a way of digging deep into farmer’s pocketbooks later due to lower milk production, increased health issues and their annoying ability to have trouble breeding back.

“There’s been an unfortunate trend over the last number of decades to breed heifers earlier – and there’s a number of valid reasons why farmers want to do that, with high feed prices being one of the main ones,” Staley says. “But if heifers are not mature when they calve, we wind up with a lot of negative, long-lasting side effects along the way.”

He goes on to note that heifers who calve before they are physically ready are never able to reach their full potential. Tina Kohlman, a regional dairy extension educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, concurs, adding that heifer maturity should not be determined by the animal’s age.

“Heifers can calve earlier to reduce feed and rearing costs but must calve at the ideal weight,” Kohlman says. “Heifer maturity, or the heifer’s weight at calving, is an important benchmark in heifer management. It is the easiest factor to measure and track. Weight at calving not only determines the performance of first-lactation heifers but also lifetime performance.”

According to Kohlman, heifer maturity is important because the onset of puberty is not age-related, but size- and development-related. Instead, maturity depends on a heifer’s plane of nutrition and average daily gain.

“Growth is the biggest driver for heifer maturity,” Kohlman says. “One needs to focus on optimal growth rates throughout the heifer’s life.” She provides the following growth benchmarks:

Puberty: 45% of the dairy herd’s mature body weight
Breeding: 55 to 60% of the dairy herd’s mature body weight
Pre-calving heifers: 90 to 95% of the dairy herd’s mature body weight
Post-calving (1st lactation): 80 to 85% of the dairy herd’s mature body weight

Agreeing with Kohlman, Staley notes that producers need to move away from breeding heifers based on size and make the effort to weigh animals instead.

“Size can mask an animal’s maturity,” Staley says. “Just because she’s big doesn’t mean she’s mature. Once a heifer calves, they grow 7x slower. Don’t believe the people who say heifers will catch up when they enter the milking herd. They don’t.”

Kohlman shares similar thoughts, adding, “It is not good practice to subjectively determine if a heifer is mature enough to breed. An investment in a scale can assist greatly in determining the best size to breed heifers, allowing one to analyze their heifer management program. Obtain mature body weights of the 3rd lactation and greater cows at 80 to 120 days in milk to establish the benchmark for the heifer program. Weigh heifers at various stages of growth (birth, weaning, pre-breeding, springing, and freshening) to determine if you are achieving a rate of gain goals.”

According to Staley, weight at calving not only determines first-lactation performance, it pretty much sets in stone lifetime performance and your herd’s overall performance. “First lactation milk production sets the ‘ceiling’ for the whole herd,” he says. “The herd cannot out-perform the production level set by first lactation animals.”

He goes on to note that every pound of “missing” body weight will cost 7 pounds of milk production. So, one month of growth deficit before calving costs 7 months of lactation.

Staley offers six tips to help heifers meet their maturity goals before calving:

Get mature body weights on your 3rd, 4th and 5th lactation cows at 80 – 120 days in milk.
Weigh heifers as they freshen.
Set heifer health and growth goals for all stages of heifer development, from colostrum feeding through calving, and then meet them.
Weigh calves at various stages of growth to determine if your heifer program is achieving rate of gain goals.
If you are, you can confidently breed heifers to calve at 22 to 23 months.
If you are not meeting growth goals, delay breeding so that heifers are reaching their maturity weight goals at calving.

“Mediocrity lives in immaturity,” Staley says. “Mature heifers transition well, peak well and breed back – all things that allow them to last in the herd. Elite herds are the ones who are taking the time to develop elite heifers.”

Homogenizing Heifer Feed with Liquid Supplements

Wed, 24 May 2023 17:32:25 GMT

More dairy heifer raisers are taking a page from the feedlot world these days by utilizing liquid supplements as carriers for vitamins, trace minerals, and feed additives in heifer TMRs.

Paul Dyk, nutritionist with GPS Dairy Consulting based in Fond du Lac, Wis., said liquid supplements help promote outstanding TMR consistency.

“I’m a huge fan of them for heifer diets, particularly when they contain ionophores,” said Dyk. “The liquid component keeps vitamins, minerals, and feed additives in suspension for even distribution throughout the ration. That’s so important for capturing the feed efficiency and coccidiosis protection afforded by ionophores, because heifers get a uniform dose in every bite.”

Dyk noted that feeding liquids in heifer rations is quite different than in lactating TMRs, which tend to be wetter and rely on liquid ingredients like water or whey as physical binders. A typical inclusion rate for whey in a lactating TMR might be in the neighborhood of 10 pounds per head per day, and water might be even higher, at about 15 pounds.

But a typical liquid supplement in a heifer ration would only be added at about a half-pound per head per day, with considerably higher dry-matter content. “Many of these supplement formulations are 60-65% dry matter,” explained Dyk. “They feed a lot more like high-moisture corn than water.”

That means their sequence in the TMR mixing process also should be different. While water often is added at the end of the process, Dyk likes to see liquid supplements added on the front side of the TMR formulation. His preferred, “feedlot-style” approach is to add the liquid supplement as one of the first ingredients, generally following corn.

Most of these supplements use molasses, and/or glycerol as the base ingredient to which dry micro-ingredients are added. They are almost always formulated at commercial feed mills that have liquid mixing capabilities.

Some operations formulate a “supermix,” which contains base concentrates -- including the liquid supplement -- to eliminate steps and save time for feeders on-farm.

Dyk recommends making specific considerations for liquid supplements when designing commodity sheds and feed centers. “We need to get past the ‘liquids last’ mindset, because these liquids do not go in last. Facilities should be designed to situate liquid supplement storage and distribution in a location that logically fits their stage of inclusion in the TMR.”

He said it is common for suppliers to offer to install pumping equipment to distribute liquid supplements in the feed center, but he advises against that service. “That’s a wise way for suppliers to lock a dairy or heifer operation into their product,” stated Dyk. “But I highly recommend that you purchase your own pump. That way you have the freedom to bid out the product and secure the most competitive deals.”

The nutritionist believes there will be more adoption of liquid supplements as dairy and heifer-rearing operations grow, as they are mainly suited to large operations. Shipments arrive in tanker batches ranging from 6-24 tons and thus require 1,500-6,000 gallons of on-farm storage. Plus, the most commonly used ionophores require a 60 day turnover.

But for the operations that have the capacity to handle them, Dyk sees only advantages in using liquid supplement for heifer TMRs. In addition to consistently distributing micro-ingredients, they can help improve palatability and reduce sorting, while also reducing shrink of high-value inputs.

“Liquid supplements add another level of precision to feeding heifers, which is one of the most capital-intense segments of dairy operations,” stated Dyk. “There’s really no downside to using them if they can be turned over regularly and managed well.”

Well-Grown Heifers Bring More Value

Fri, 05 May 2023 13:59:21 GMT

When it comes to raising ideal replacement dairy heifers, it’s a delicate dance between cost and quality, according to two presenters at the recent 2023 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Annual Conference.

“Custom heifer growers don’t go out of business because they’re too expensive,” declared Paul Dyk, nutritionist with GPS Dairy Consulting. Rather, he said dairy owners leave custom growers when they deliver poor-quality animals at freshening. In short, rearing costs aren’t everything when it comes to raising high-quality replacements.

Dyk’s sentiments were echoed by Dr. Michael Overton, technical services veterinarian for Zoetis. Overton said previous industry trends of trying to shave heifer-rearing expenses via both cheap feedstuffs and early calving age now are being called into question.

“We’ve been focusing too much on cost reduction in the rearing phase, while ignoring future lost opportunity potential when we bring low-quality, poorly grown heifers into the milking string,” Overton stated. “Those animals are being deprived of their genetic potential to perform, and may never hit their full production performance stride because they are forever playing catch-up, especially during their first and second lactations.”

Overton recommends a goal of freshening first-calf heifers at 22-24 months of age. He said at that age, they should be at 82-85% of projected mature bodyweight, 95% of mature height, and free of lingering health issues – like permanent lung damage – that could negatively impact future productivity.

Knowing the actual mature bodyweight and height in the herd are critical pieces in achieving that standard. Dyk said many dairies either do not know their mature weights at all, or dramatically underestimate their cow size and weights.

He recommends weighing heifer calves at birth and freshening on the dairy, using the same scale both times. That data should be recorded into a herd management software like Dairy Comp 305. Then, weighing every cow at calving, regardless of lactation number, should become a standard practice so dairies can track their animal weight trends over time.

Retrospective data has shown that cows continue to gain weight until about 7 years of age. Dyk said monitoring cull weights is another way to assess average mature weight in the herd, as well as standard deviation between animals. For consistent size, the goal should be less than 50 pounds of variance between animals of the same age.

One of Dyk’s client herds of several thousand Holsteins found their 4th-lacation (55 months of age) average freshening weight was 1,760 pounds – meaning a goal of 85% of mature body weight at first freshening would be about 1,500 pounds.

Hitting those heavier weights early is worth it, as Dyk shared data showing first-calf heifers that were 100 pounds heavier at first calving produced 5 pounds more milk per day in their first lactations.

“Heifers that are undersized at calving will partition a greater percentage of nutrients toward growth and away from production, compared to well-grown heifers,” stated Overton. His exhaustive examination of data on herd survival versus bodyweight has borne out two critical findings:

The primary driver for early culling was not body weight, per se, but rather the milk production differences that resulted from calving at a lighter weight than targeted.
When adjustments for Age at First Calving were removed and 305-day milk remained, older heifers had a significantly higher risk of being culled.

The second point is an important indicator that not only do heifers need to be well-grown before they have their first calf, but that their pre-calving growth and development must come in an efficient timeframe.

Dyk said raising a heifer to 1,500 pounds by 22 months of age is more costly than calving them out smaller, but also worth the investment in the long view. “We’ve become very specific in developing the type and number of replacement heifers needed in the herd,” he stated. “We don’t have room for any duds.”

For more on heifer management, read:

How One Farm Nearly Doubled Their Pregnancy Rate

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 15:02:00 GMT

Getting cows pregnant is vital to literally keeping the pipeline full on a dairy. According to Jeremey Natzke of Wayside Dairy LLC near Green Bay, Wis., a 35% or better pregnancy rate equates to an outstanding repro program and a number his dairy worked hard to achieve.

Wayside shares that in order to reduce days on feed for heifers, a producer must have a maximum number of times that they breed an animal.

“At some point, you just need to pull the pin if they are not getting pregnant,” he says. “If those DNB (do not breed) cows are milking well, leave them alone and let them milk.”

Alongside Natzke, Wayside Dairy LLC is managed and owned by his father, Dan, his sister Jenna Nonemacher, new partner, Jesse Dvorchek, and himself. Milking around 2,000 cows with 1,850 replacements, the herd has a rolling herd average of 32,171 lbs. of milk and has a 4.3% butterfat with a 3.3% protein.

Natzke serves as the farm’s herd manager, overseeing the farm’s team that works with the cows from reproduction to maternity to milking, and does a lot of the scheduling for the team. About five years ago, they implemented a double lutalyse shot program which improved their conception rates.

Other changes that Wayside Dairy made that boosted their herd’s reproduction include:

Implementing a 4 mL dose of GnRH 10 days before the first breeding
Purchasing and utilizing Cow Manager monitoring system, installing tags in all their cows.

“Our heat detection rate has gone up,” Natzke shares. “The percent of cows being pregnant on herd check day has gone up. The repeat breeders show up on the system earlier so we can breed them before finding them open on herd check day. The Cow Manager tags have also helped improve our cow health. We find sick cows quicker now that we can visibly see them being sick. They get back on their feet so much faster.”

A 35% preg rate seemed nearly impossible 17 years ago for Wayside Dairy. Their preg rate hovered around 18%.

“We kept asking consultants how we can improve,” Natzke states.

Wayside brought in another set of eyes with a new veterinarian and changed nutritionists, which improved the whole team around them.

“They both challenged us and got us out of our comfort zone at times,” Natzke shares. “Double ovsynch has really improved our reproduction. There is a lot of management that takes place to get these programs in place and keep them running smoothly.”

Time to Break Out the Calf Jackets

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:37:58 GMT

Calf jackets have proven to help young calves tolerate cold stress and improve health and growth during the winter months. Young calves do not have large body fat reserves to convert for body temperature regulation, and their large percentage of surface area relative to total body size also causes them to lose body heat quickly at low ambient temperatures.

A recent study in the United Kingdom compared 40 Holstein calves reared from December through February. Half received calf jackets from 2 to 12 weeks of age, and half did not. The researchers found that the calves with jackets gained an average of 11.68 pounds more than those without.

In addition, the calves with jackets:

Ate less feed, resulting in a savings of about $3.77 per head.
Had increased last rib girth measurement, indicating improved rumen development.
Had higher fecal scores and a lower incidence of scours.

There are a number of manufacturers and distributors of calf jackets in the United States. Each shares management advice on how to best use and reap the benefits of calf jackets. Here are 10 of their tips:

Be sure calves’ coats are completely dry before fitting them with jackets.
Adjust the straps weekly to accommodate for growth.
Check to ensure no straps are rubbing that could create raw spots on calves’ skin.
Launder jackets in hot water with detergent, and thoroughly dry between calves.
Change jackets that become wet for any reason, including weather and scouring calves.
Bedding is still important. Be sure calves have clean, dry, deep bedding in which they able to nest.
One rule of thumb for starting to use jackets in the fall is when the daytime high and nighttime low, added together, equal 90˚F or less. Another suggested starting point is when three consecutive nights of a pre-determined temperature -- such as 40˚F -- or less occur.
Continue to use jackets as long as the ground is frozen.
In warm stretches, monitor calves to see if they are sweating under the jackets. If so, remove them during the day, as daytime sweating can cause nighttime chilling.
Remove calf jackets in the morning versus afternoon or evening.

For more on calf care, read:

Do you have a Calf Herd Program?

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 23:06:58 GMT

In the last decade, the dairy industry has been moving away from its record production of replacement heifers and moving more towards the production of more beef crosses. According to the USDA’s 2022 annual Cattle Report, this has resulted in a decrease in national heifer inventories by 3.4%. To ensure we will continue producing quality animals, despite this reduced inventory volume, the industry has invested millions of dollars into superior semen and genomic testing for the remaining replacements.

One great example of a way to craft investment protection comes with a new revelation in the industry, the Calf Herd Health Program. This program has led to more intensive management programs; causing our clients to reevaluate their opinions about calf management.

Lung Ultrasound

As Calf Herd Health Programs become more and more popular among our clients, they have begun to invest more training, equipment, and time in disease detection within their young stock herd which has improved their end results. The core of these programs is like an adult herd health program in that it revolves around the diagnostic ultrasound machine and utilizes a technique called thoracic aka: Lung Ultrasound, to diagnose subclinical pneumonia.

Based on the literature and our experience, we know that anywhere between 7 to 22% of calves will experience clinical pneumonia in our calf herds. This technology allows for the detection of this health event well before clinical signs occur which helps to protect against the 1,200 lb. milk loss associated with clinical pneumonia established by Ollivett and Dunn in 2018.

Lung Ultrasound is a relatively simple technology in which a veterinarian can scan a calf in about a minute. The scan evaluates lung tissue for signs of lung consolidation which are areas of lung tissue that can no longer fill with air due to damage from a respiratory infection.

While Lung Ultrasound is the cornerstone of any good Calf Herd Health Program, there are many other benefits to getting your herd vet in your calf barn regularly. Even if you or your employees are taking excellent care of your calves, it can be easy to miss small daily changes that might be better diagnosed by a less involved outside eye. Additionally, your herd vet can better detect protocol drift within your barn; a level of quality control that might have been missed without such a program.

Our clients have articulated high praises for our Calf Herd Health Programs. As we’ve become more active members of our client’s calf consulting team, we’ve been better able to detect vaccine protocol drift, errors in feeding, head off diarrheal diseases, detect infected navels as well as joints before they are untreatable and have diagnosed/successfully treated hundreds of calves with subclinical pneumonia that would have otherwise gone undetected and untreated. These actions have resulted in reduced postweaning costs and disease rates, higher survival to first calving rates, and more thrifty animals overall.

These clients have received all these benefits at a cost that ranges from $5-$15 per calf. This is a small investment when you consider the elevated importance of each animal in today’s market. I invite you to open the lines of dialog with your herd vet and ask them if they would consider helping you protect your investment via a Calf Herd Heath Program during your next herd check.