
A lecture series on social housing systems and nutrition for calves.
R.A.C.E. approved: #20-843954
Speaker: Whitney Knauer, VMD, PhD, Assistant Professor at University of Minnesota
Emerging evidence suggests that social housing of dairy calves during the pre-weaning period benefits the welfare of the calf. However, maintaining health can be a challenge in some systems. This presentation will cover what is currently understood about best health management in these systems (pair, small group, large group) and factors associated with morbidity and mortality during the milk fed period.
Speaker: Fernando Soberon, PhD, Northeast Regional Business Manager at Standard Dairy Consultants LLC
Call it metabolic programming, nutrigenetics or simply epigenetics. Regardless of the term used, the nutrition of the calves during critical windows of development will influence their metabolism for life, giving us the opportunity to make a better cow from the time she is born. We will explore some of the mechanisms of epigenetics that allow these changes to take place but most importantly, we will talk about practical management practices that can be used on farm to take advantage of this opportunity.