Overcome inevitable pathogen challenges with a farm-tested calf probiotic

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 20:26:24 GMT

The first weeks of a calf’s life are crucial. Early health challenges don’t just inflate vet bills and hinder growth, but the long-term effects can ripple for years.

The most pressing challenge? Environmental pathogens like Clostridia, E. coli, and Salmonella are primary drivers of digestive upset in calves. These pathogens damage the gut lining, produce toxins and infiltrate the body, leading to long-term health issues and secondary infections like bovine respiratory disease.

Frustratingly, these pathogens are very common and difficult to avoid. Which means preventative measures aren’t enough. Protection is critical for ensuring calves live long, healthy lives.

Enter probiotic solutions. They are a cost-efficient tool that can be highly effective at supporting pathogen management on the farm. And when it comes to probiotics for calves, BaciFlex®-Calf is the only one with highly selected strains that facilitate comprehensive pathogen control to support health and immune function.

Testing BaciFlex-Calf in real-world conditions
To validate its practical efficacy, BaciFlex-Calf was tested at a Wisconsin calf-raising facility on 717 pre-weaning calves over the summer months in wet and muddy conditions.

Calves were sourced from multiple farms, arrived at the calf-raising facility between 1 to 5 days of age, and were housed on dirt in individual calf hutches. They were fed a 24-20 non-medicated milk replacer with or without BaciFlex-Calf, along with starter until weaning at about 64 days of age.

Body weight was determined upon arrival at the facility and at weaning. At less than 1 week, 4 to 6 weeks, and 7 to 8 weeks of age, calf fecal and health scores were assessed, and fecal samples were submitted for analysis of Clostridia, C. perfringens, E. coli, and Salmonella.

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

BaciFlex-Calf strengthens health and drives growth
BaciFlex-Calf started out by inducing a significant reduction in fecal E. coli levels, which resulted in 40% lower fecal scores throughout the trial.

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

Reducing pathogens and healing the gut supported a 45% reduction in respiratory disease in calves consuming BaciFlex-Calf – going from 14.5% to 8%. This reduction allowed calves to meet the industry gold standard of less than 10% pre-weaning respiratory incidence.

With the pathogen burden lifted, calves on BaciFlex-Calf were able to increase their average daily gain, leading to a 5.5 lb. higher body weight at weaning. This additional gain allowed calves to double their birth weight by weaning and meet industry growth recommendations, while the control calves did not.

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

This performance will pay dividends for years. Research has shown that higher weights and fewer negative health events pre-weaning translate to decreased health events post-weaning, greater milk production and increased longevity in the herd.

On the farm, pathogen challenges are inevitable. But with the right protection, their impact can be mitigated. To learn more about how BaciFlex-Calf can benefit your herd, contact your local Papillon Youngstock Specialist .

Are blood meal price swings derailing your ration?

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:28:45 GMT

Over the past three years, the blood meal market has had one guaranteed constant — volatility.

As a cash-traded commodity with a supply chain stretching from coast to coast, blood meal faces logistical hurdles in getting from rendering plant to the ration. Rapid price swings are driven by fluctuating supply and variability in demand, and for dairy producers, understanding these dynamics isn’t just helpful, it’s essential for managing feed costs while hitting milk production and component goals.

More volatility is likely ahead
Conditions in domestic cattle supply in the last half of 2025 are exhibiting several areas of concern. Reports show the smallest herd size since 1951, record high comprehensive cutout values and indications of meat packers operating with margins that are solidly in the red.

It’s a continuation of a trend. In 2024, cattle slaughter numbers were rather lackluster in terms of kill volume, with 2025 expected to trail the year previous by 7% year-over-year. This represents a sizeable number of animals kept off the kill floor, and a significant change in the volume of available ruminant blood meal over the course of the year. Furthermore, the outlook for a sizeable domestic herd expansion is not positive: cattle feeders are seeing incredible margins, calves are selling at sky-high values, and ultimately, the incentive to retain heifers for breeding and herd expansion is not present.

In the porcine market, hog supply is less concerning. The U.S. hog herd is smaller than it was three years ago, but the rate of decline is less rapid than what we’ve seen in cattle, and when compared to 2024, the fluctuations in supply feel aligned with expectations. Unlike the cattle market, producers have maintained a holding pattern on sow retention, waiting to see what shakes out with tariffs, feed costs, and most importantly, profit margins. The packers have maintained near-breakeven margins throughout most of the year, enough to keep slaughter through the end of the year at a comfortable enough pace.

With that said, high-quality porcine blood meal has still found points of tightness throughout the year as unplanned production interruptions cause short-term chaos in the market. Due to a smaller domestic cattle herd, reduced packer margins and slowed kill rates, the blood market is always one winter storm or short-term plant shutdown away from a price hike.

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

Take the guesswork out of planning
You can’t control the market – but you can control your risk. So what can producers do to prepare? There are reliable options for diversifying your supply chain and insulating your business from volatility. Feeding an amino acid blend, like Papillon Agricultural Company’s Excelene ™, is a tried-and-true feed technology that smooths the input cost trendline and delivers the nutrition your dairy requires, week in and week out. Not only can Excelene take the guesswork out of timing the straight blood meal market, but your nutritionist can formulate a customized blend that can be used to preferentially drive milk protein, fat and yield.

Talk with your nutritionist or contact your Papillon rep to build a custom amino acid blend that locks in stability and optimal feed conversion.

Case study: Enhancing ordering efficiencies with myAnimalRx

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:53:09 GMT

For veterinary practices, maintaining efficient operations while ensuring high-quality care is a constant challenge. myAnimalRx , a unique online platform by MWI Animal Health simplifies how veterinary practices manage prescriptions and product orders. By streamlining workflows and reducing administrative burdens, myAnimalRx helps clinics enhance collaboration with their customers and focus more on their core mission: animal health. For their producer customers, the benefits of the online platform include reducing the hassle of ordering crucial medications, by streamlining to one easy to use online store and receiving product quickly and conveniently.

Challenge: Complex prescription processes before using the online platform
Before adopting myAnimalRx, many practices faced significant challenges in managing prescriptions and product orders. Tracey Stencel, CVT, A.A.S. (VET), manages the online catalog for Anderson Vet, a mixed animal practice in Zumbrota, Minnesota, so she has seen first-hand the value of an efficient ordering platform. She recalls the inefficiencies of the previous, analog system, when dairy farmers would fax scripts to the veterinarians, who would then sign, and fax back. This cumbersome process often led to delays and miscommunication, especially when veterinarians were not immediately available to sign prescriptions. Time spent on approvals took away time spent on patient care.

This approach to ordering also meant inventory needed to be kept on-site, tying up capital and valuable space. Another complication with analog ordering is the lack of views into order histories, making it difficult to predict potential requests, and stock the appropriate products in the right amounts. Housing too much inventory holds the risk of some of it expiring, and money going down the drain. Practices like Anderson Vet were competing with online retailers—who don’t have the knowledge and relationship with clients and their herds— for order fulfillment. An order fulfillment solution that puts the clinic in control of product pricing and prescription approvals, with the added benefit of holding less inventory in hand, would be a game changer.

Action: Communicating the value of the online platform to customers and coworkers
Introducing myAnimalRx to clients required thoughtful communication and strategic implementation. Stencel adopted a hands-on approach to help producers see the financial advantages of using the solution, making them more likely to adopt. She would demonstrate the cost savings by creating invoices for both in-clinic purchases and myAnimalRx orders. “I’d ask them, ‘Do you need this today?’ If they say no, I’d make an invoice from the catalog and one from the clinic. They were amazed at how much money they could save by drop-shipping to themselves,” she says.

Anderson Vet has attributed the use of myAnimalRx for being able to get/increase the clinic’s margins, with the added benefit of not needing to carry stock in their clinic.

Other clinics have used the tactic of free shipping for orders placed through myAnimalRx.
Orders over $200 come with free shipping; however, some clinics have included the incentive of free shipping for smaller orders to get customers accustomed to using the platform. This approach helped ease clients into using the platform and highlighted the immediate benefits.

Using myAnimalRx also fostered better collaboration among veterinary staff by providing a centralized platform for managing orders and prescriptions. The platform’s user-friendly interface made it easier for staff, like Stencel, to track prescriptions.

She explains, “We know when they ordered it, how many were approved and what veterinarian prescribed them. We can trace what products shipped, which makes it simpler to pull any reports we need for rebates from drug companies.” Streamlining administrative tasks, reduced the workload for staff and allowed them to focus more on patient care.

Results: Positive outcomes for clinic and customers from using the online platform
The transition to myAnimalRx has brought numerous positive outcomes for Anderson Vet and other practices. One of the most significant benefits is an improvement in inventory management. By reducing the amount of stock kept on-site, practices can operate more efficiently and free up valuable space.

In addition to operational efficiencies, myAnimalRx improves financial management for veterinary practices. By securing By securing online payment via credit or debit card,at the time of purchase, helped the clinic maintain better cash flow and reduce accounts receivable. “Our accounts receivable lowered because most everybody’s on a credit card payment at the time of purchase,” Stencel explains. This financial stability allows the practice to invest more in their core activities and enhance overall service quality.

A major advantage for customers is enhanced convenience, particularly for producers located far from the clinic. With myAnimalRx, they could receive their products the next day, eliminating the need for trips to the clinic. “Our territory is huge. This catalog is very beneficial,” Stencel says.

What to remember
With myAnimalRx, veterinary practices can focus more on what truly matters—providing exceptional animal care and building lasting relationships with their producers.
By adopting this innovative platform, practices like Anderson Vet have seen significant improvements in inventory management, financial stability, and overall efficiency. The positive outcomes extend to producers as well, who benefit from cost savings, convenience, and timely access to essential products.

As Stencel aptly puts it, “If clinics want to provide a better service to their producers, they should use myAnimalRx. It’s really simple, and the benefits are clear.”

We’d love to show you how myAnimalRx can fit into your clinic’s workflow. Reach out for a demo today .

What’s the missing ingredient for transitioning dairy cows?

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 22:07:53 GMT

Successfully managing the transition period is vital for dairy cow productivity. Ensuring a smooth transition can mean the difference between a highly productive cow and one who struggles to perform for the remainder of her lactation.

One of the challenges associated with transition is the dichotomy between the sudden demand for nutrients to support milk production and a dramatic decrease in dry matter intake. These combined factors mean that cows enter lactation in negative energy balance, expending two to three times more energy producing milk than they are consuming in feed. This results in a lot of attention focused on managing intake and energy content of the diet during the transition period. However, cows also experience negative protein balance during transition, which is often overlooked.

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

So what is one step dairy producers can take for smoother transitions? Recent work from Cornell University highlights the need for additional focus on protein requirements during transition and sheds light on the “optimal” metabolizable protein (MP) for transition cows.

The research

The trial was designed to evaluate the performance implications of increasing MP supply around transition. To do this, the researchers used combinations of low and high MP pre-fresh and post-fresh diets. On average, the low and high pre-fresh diets delivered ~1,200 and 1,600 g of MP respectively, and the low and high post-fresh diets delivered ~2,000 and 2,700 g of MP respectively. These low MP treatments are in line with more traditional MP targets in transition cows. These diets were fed to four different groups of cows that received:

High MP both pre- and post-fresh
Low MP both pre- and post-fresh
High MP pre-fresh and Low MP post-fresh
Low MP pre-fresh and High MP post-fresh

The MP increase in the high diets was accomplished through inclusion of both heat-treated soybean meal and animal-rendered protein blends.
The pre-fresh diets were fed for 28 days pre-calving, and the post-fresh diets were fed for 21 days after calving. All cows were then fed an intermediate MP diet and data was collected for an additional 20 days to evaluate the persistency of responses.

The results

The trial highlighted clear benefits for increasing MP. Trial results showed:

Higher postpartum MP led to increased milk, fat and protein yields
- Energy-corrected milk (ECM) production averaged 13.6 lbs/day more during the trial period
- ECM production benefits persisted after supplementation, averaging 11.2 lbs/day more
Cows fed high MP pre- and post-calving were numerically the highest performing group

Papillon Agricultural Company

(Papillon Agricultural Company)

The takeaways

From these results, we can conclude that increasing postpartum MP shows clear production benefits, and additionally, these benefits persist beyond the period of supplementation. Benefits of increased pre-partum MP are a little less clear, with limited benefits seen if cows are not also supplemented post-fresh, however, the group supplemented both pre/post were the highest performing of the group.
So, practically, how do we go about implementing these strategies on farm? Because the response to increased MP was persistent, implementing this strategy in dedicated post-fresh pens has clear benefits for maximizing peak milk production.

The reduced intakes and negative energy balance previously discussed surrounding transition mean that space in the ration is at a premium for trying to implement these MP increases. Most heat-treated soybean meal products contribute around 160 g of MP per lb., compared to greater than 300 g of MP per lb. for high-quality animal-rendered protein blends. This means you can more efficiently supply the 400 to 700 g of MP they targeted in this study using animal-rendered protein blends – like Excelene™ custom amino acid blends from Papillon Agricultural Company – without further compromising energy density of the diet. Speak with your nutritionist and see if a protein blend might be the missing ingredient for your transitioning cows.

Making dairy feed additives economical? Solve your challenges in four steps

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:24:00 GMT

One of the challenges with the use of functional additives such as prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, plant compounds and exogenous enzymes is that they are often applied to cows in a generalized sense. Rather than select additives to target a specific on-farm issue, we instead add a product to generally improve cow health and productivity.

While this method of additive use can lead to herd improvements, the likelihood of success is lower, and the risk of no return on investment is higher. This generalized approach leads to two negative outcomes. One, becoming risk averse to trying new additives that may be useful to herd health and productivity. Two, the development of a diet with so many additives included over time that the cost is high and the value of any one additive unclear.

A simple solution to these challenges exists in a 4-step process that leads to an easy, effective and economical additive program.

Step 1: Determine challenges and goals.

It is critical to both understand farm goals and understand the primary on-farm challenges. The use of on-farm sampling, through a program like the Papillon DigesTTive Checkup , can provide detailed insights into potential issues such as rumen dysbiosis, lower gut inflammation or pathogen colonization.

Step 2: Evaluate potential additive solutions and develop an additive program.

Once goals and challenges have been identified, evaluate additive options in the market based on effectiveness, cost and compatibility to identify the best. From there a custom blend of additives can be developed to strategically target the identified goals and challenges.

Due to the complexity of the additive market, it is recommended to work with a trusted Papillon advisor to identify the best additive solutions for your herd.

Step 3: Let the data guide you.

Data is the most useful tool in determining if an additive is providing value. Collecting simple measurements of milk and component yield, body weight, health events and reproductive status can provide insights as to how the herd is responding to an additive program and if that response provides a worthwhile return on investment.

By supplementing this data with on-farm sampling programs like the Papillon DigesTTive Checkup, we can determine how an additive is providing value to the cow within the digestive tract.

Step 4: Don’t forget to revisit and re-evaluate.

The final (and often forgotten step) in developing a successful additive program is re-evaluation. Cows are continually changing and an additive program should change with them. It is recommended programs be evaluated at least annually, but also any time a major diet, health or management change occurs on-farm.

Using this 4-step program that identifies a clear target for success, we can shift the narrative around additives from a category of products that work sometimes, to a category of products that adds measurable value for cow health and productivity challenges.

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Overcome inevitable pathogen challenges with a farm-tested calf probiotic

Are blood meal price swings derailing your ration?

Case study: Enhancing ordering efficiencies with myAnimalRx

What’s the missing ingredient for transitioning dairy cows?

Making dairy feed additives economical? Solve your challenges in four steps