Heifer prices around the country
A survey of livestock markets around the country shows that current heifer prices range from $1,600 to $2,150 for top- or supreme-rated springing heifers, says Greg Scheer, dairy analyst at Doane Advisory Services in St. Louis. The price of medium-grade springers ranges from $900 to $2,000. The chart below shows the reported prices from recent heifer sales of springers and calves by region.

	Springing heifers		Heifer calves
	Supreme/top grade	Approved/medium grade	90 to 120 pounds
Escalon, Calif.	$1,700-$2,150	$1,300-$1,600	Not reported
Portales, N.M.	$1,600-$1,775	$1,300-$1,575	NR
Ithaca, Wis.		$1,775-$2,000	$375-$510
Sulphur Springs, Texas	$1,300-$2,000	$900-$1,300	$70-$400
New Holland, Pa,	$1,775-$2,050	$1,550-$1,675	NR

Welcome to the Jan. 22 edition of Calf and Heifer Adviser, published by Dairy Herd Management^® magazine.

Calf and Heifer Adviser and its core sponsors are committed to providing you with the information you need to make informed and timely business decisions.

---

Calving location does not affect calf health
Are calves born in individual maternity pens healthier than calves born in a group maternity pen? Not necessarily, according to a study that involved three commercial dairies in Minnesota. Disease and death risks during the first three months of life were no different between calves born in group calving pens and those born in individual pens. The research was presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Study: Immunity not enhanced by big gains
Researchers continue to learn more about pre-weaning growth rate and its effect on calf health. A new study in this month’s Journal of Dairy Science sheds more light on the topic. It found that a growth rate exceeding 2 pounds per day did not enhance a calf’s immune response to vaccination. For more details, go to www.dairyherd.com.

Heifer growers list top challenges
In early January, the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association held an Allied Industry Outlook Meeting in St. Louis. A panel of heifer growers listed the following as the top challenges for the industry going forward:

• Negativity in the media when any livestock operation expands.
• Lack of consumer awareness of production agriculture and its value.
• High input costs across the board.
• Using corn for fuel is a great concept, but it inflates the cost to raise livestock and will change food prices. Do consumers understand they have chosen fuel over low-cost food?
• Labor issues. A lack of people who want to and are willing to work in agriculture.
• Continued availability of antibiotics.

Prepare calves for early weaning
Calves can be weaned earlier than the traditional age of eight weeks. Six weeks is an attainable goal for most calf managers. However, some can be ready to wean as early as 30 to 35 days old, says Jud Heinrichs, Penn State University professor of dairy science. Here's how to get your calves ready for earlier weaning:

• Offer free-choice, high-quality starter at one to two days of age.
• Make sure calves are eating starter by five to seven days of age. If not, show them how.
• Know how much grain intake it takes to make 1.5 to 2 pounds of gain, so you can note when calves are eating that amount for three to five days consecutively.

Once calves reach that intake level, they are ready to be weaned. Remember to offer free-choice water throughout this process and keep health protocols up-to-snuff. For more details, read this article from Heinrichs.

Calf and heifer workshop coming up
Penn State University will offer a calf and heifer workshop next month. The same workshop will be offered at three locations. Topics to be covered include: calf and heifer health, what’s new in calf feeding, fly control in replacement heifers, and heifer nutrition to reduce manure and ammonia production. The sessions will be held Feb. 12 in Lewistown, Pa.; Feb. 13 in Grantville, Pa., and Feb. 14 in Martinsburg, Pa. Cost is just $20 per person. For more information, go to: https://estore.psu.edu/dairyalliance.

---

• Subscribe to Dairy Alert.
• Subscribe to Calf & Heifer Adviser.
• Subscribe to Dairy Herd Management magazine.
• Change my e-mail address.
• If you think this newsletter might be of interest to a friend, forward it using your e-mail software's forward function.
• Other questions or comments? Contact us via e-mail on the appropriate link.

       Editorial: Editorial@vancepublishing.com
       Business Development: BusinessDevelopment@vancepublishing.com
       Advertising Opportunities: AdvertisingOpportunities@vancepublishing.com
       Other:  Editor@food360.com 

  Or by mail at Dairy Herd Management, 10901 W 84th Terr, Suite 200, Lenexa, KS 66214
  
• Unsubscribe: When you filled out your Dairy Herd Management subscription form, you indicated your level of involvement in the dairy industry. Based on that involvement, we are sending this Calf & Heifer Adviser newsletter to you to supplement the information you receive each month in Dairy Herd Management. If you would like to remove yourself from this list, please use the link provided above and you will be removed immediately.

Dairy Herd Management has a Web site. Look for updated news, loads of important links and an ever-growing and expanding Internet presence at www.dairyherd.com

© Copyright 2007Dairy Herd Management magazine and Food360°. All Rights Reserved.