Fresh cows have a perfect meal prepared for their newborn calves the minute they hit the ground. Their first-milking colostrum provides all the right ingredients to promote optimal gastrointestinal tract development, jump-start the calf’s metabolism, and support the immune system.

It takes hard work and considerable investment to create a newborn calf. So, when that calf hits the ground, we want to do everything we can to give it the best possible start to a healthy and productive life.

The use of beef semen on dairy cows has changed the playing field and redefined the meaning of “dairy beef.” Historically, purebred dairy calves that were sold into the beef production system had relatively low value and weren’t always given top-tier treatment at their dairies of origin.

For many years, colostrum delivery within the first 24 hours of life – and the sooner, the better – has been emphasized. That’s because we know that calves have a finite opportunity to absorb critical immunity-boosting antibodies – particularly immunoglobulin-G.