(left) By following a planned nutritional program based on Cow’s Match milk replacer and Southern States Intensity Calf Starter, calves at Walkup Holsteins get off to a faster start and are more likely to reach their genetic potential.

Calf Raising 101

The Virginia Calf Raiser Calf College teaches dairy professionals how to get more from their calf crops..

Last winter, dairy professionals from throughout Virginia went back to school. No, they didn’t return to their alma maters to pursue advanced degrees. But they did further their educations with practical information they can use on their operations.

The Virginia Calf Raiser Calf College was sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, Southern States and Land O’ Lakes. It contained an educational program to familiarize attendees with the Intensity Calf Program that’s being successfully used by some of the state’s leading dairies.

Two training sessions were held this past winter. One was at Jareco Farms, which is operated by James and Jennifer Cook near Pennhook, Va. The other was hosted at Walkup Holsteins, a family-run dairy near Harrisonburg, Va., operated by Dan and Charlotte Myers, their son B.J., and their daughter and son-in-law, Teresa and Donald Callender.

Need a legend?

Both dairies use the Intensity Calf Program and Management System, a nutritional calf-raising program developed by Land O’ Lakes and Southern States. Southern States is the exclusive marketer of this program in the co-op’s territory.

Research shows that the Intensity Calf Program enhances peak frame and lean-tissue development in calves, notes Dr. John Bargeloh, a nutritionist with Southern States and one of the Calf Raiser Calf College instructors. “Cow’s Match® helps heifers meet their peak growth rate,” he says.

As part of the highly fortified calf feeding and management program, Cow’s Match milk replacer is used in conjunction with Intensity Calf Starter. This helps calves get the right start to reach their genetic potential for growth.

Multistudy research shows that compared to calves fed a traditional milk replacer, calves on the Intensity Calf Program were 34 pounds heavier at weaning and reached 400 pounds 25 days sooner.

Besides better physical appearance and faster weight gain, the program results in better overall calf health.

James and Jennifer Cook, hosts of a Virginia Calf Raiser Calf College, were recently recognized as recipients of the 2004 Virginia’s Distinguished Dairyman award.

These benefits are all a part of focusing on the core of a dairy’s future -- replacement cows coming into the milking herd from the calf crop.

“Programs such as this are great for the overall industry because they provide advanced training for active dairymen,” notes Bob Moseley, manager of dairy feed sales for the co-op.

“Best of all, the program is based on the successful experiences of local dairies,” he adds. “That’s why each session centers around a dairy using the practices taught during the college.”

For instance, the Calf Raiser Calf College at Pennhook, Va., involved a half-day of classroom sessions followed by afternoon hands-on experiences at Jareco Farms. The morning began with classroom presentations by Extension specialists from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service; veterinarians; and industry representatives, including Bargeloh.

Session topics included dry cow management, newborn calf care, calf nutrition basics, diseases and treatment, why milk replacer works, calf starter quality and calf management tools.

“Our Calf Raiser Calf Colleges were a huge success,” reports Dr. Bob James, an Extension dairy nutritionist at Virginia Tech. “That’s due in large part to the participation of the Cooks at Jareco Farms and the Myers and Callenders at Walkup Holsteins.

“These outstanding producers are a great example of the results that can be obtained by following the best calf management practices promoted at these calf colleges,” James notes.

“It’s also gratifying to see the widespread industry support from local veterinarians, Southern States and Land O’ Lakes,” he continues.

The host dairy operators were behind the popularity of the two events, one of which drew 67 participants. These folks’ reputations with their fellow producers is a major reason for the success of the Virginia Calf Raiser Calf Colleges, James explains.

During each day-long event, the co-host producers took center stage in the afternoon part of the program. At the Rocky Mount event, for example, the calf college moved to James and Jennifer Cook’s Jareco dairy.

Jareco is a progressive family dairy with a rolling herd average of about 23,000 pounds of milk with 3.7% butterfat. After the Cooks presented an overview of their operation, instructors held hands-on demonstrations and training experience using the Cooks’ herd.

The hands-on training included everything from colostrometer and refractometer tests to dehorning demonstrations. Heavy emphasis also was placed on calf-disease detection and treatments, as well as on the use of milk replacers.

The Cooks take special pride in their calf program, which has a mortality rate of less than 1% at six to seven weeks. And this is from a herd with a 24-month-of-age first calving rate for heifers.

These impressive numbers earned the couple recognition from their industry peers. James Cook, awarded by the Virginia State Dairyman’s Association, credits his wife for much of the success of Jareco Farms’ calf program.

The same holds true at Walkup Holsteins. There Charlotte Myers and Teresa Callender work as a team and are in charge of the calf-raising enterprise.

Teresa and Charlotte told calfcollege participants that under the Intensity Calf Program calves gain weight faster. They also note that overall calf herd health is much improved.

“With success stories like this, it’s no wonder there’s so much interest in our Intensity Calf Program,” Moseley concludes.