Educational Tour of Automated Calf Feeding Facility Planned in Michigan

Automatic calf feeding facilities are becoming very popular in Michigan. These feeders allow calves to consume large volumes of milk in small meals throughout the day, resulting in high growth rates of pre-weaned calves. Unfortunately, there are some challenges and misperceptions that must be addressed before producers invest in this technology.

On Wednesday, December 13, MSU Extension will host an educational tour at Hogan Dairy in Muir, Michigan. The Ionia county event will feature a facility tour of the two-year-old building highlighting the changes made to the heifer raising program since going to automated calf feeding and general management considerations for this type of calf raising.

Additionally, farm owner, Andrew Hogan will explain the planning that went into the barn’s creation, his personal goals for the operation, and potential pitfalls to avoid in constructing a similar system yourself. There will be discussions on sanitation including a demonstration of an ATP meter to measure bacterial activity.

Featured speakers include Jenna Taylor, Harvey’s Commodities; Elizabeth Marvel, Milk Specialties; Andrew Hogan, Hogan Dairy; and Faith Cullens, MSU Extension. There is no charge for this event, however RSVPs are appreciated.

December 13, 2018 1:30-3:00 at Hogan Dairy; 5931 Beahan Road, Muir, MI

RSVP to Faith Cullens at 989-224-5249 or cullensf@msu.edu