Progressive Dairyman

Fall is in full swing with it we usher in the cold weather. Chances are that when you woke up this morning, you checked the weather. You probably checked the weather before you went outside this morning to see if you needed to put on a coat.  Does this make you think of your calves? […]

Imagine an employee wearing gloves in a clean dry pen skillfully administering high-quality colostrum to a calf born just minutes ago. The calf’s navel has already been dipped, the calf dried, and all information recorded in the logs. Dream? No, just good employee management. You know that if every calf in your herd received treatment like that, your herd would consist of healthy, high-producing cows. […]

A couple of weeks ago, I trained employees at a mid-size dairy farm. The place was well-run and the calf feeder had full support and trust of the farm owner. The guy liked his calves and cared about doing a good job. What surprised me about the farm was the lack of immediate hygiene. When […]

“That depends,” you say. “Are you talking about comparing the two liquids or whether colostrum feeding affects future production?” “Both,” I say. Comparing colostrum to milk components Colostrum is notorious for containing high levels of immunoglobulins. At 85 to 90 percent, the most prevalent one is immunoglobulin G (IgG), a large Y-shaped protein produced by […]

Editor’s note: The following is based on a speech presented by Dagmar Beckel-Machyckova, the co-owner of Golden Calf Company, LLC. Dagmar gave this presentation at the 2014 Women’s Business Conference in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. There was a time I thought I could never become an entrepreneur. It’s quite amusing now that we have completed our […]