Feb 22, 2026 | Educational Blog
Arren Rusch knew his dairy had reached a size that worked for the family, he didn’t want to grow bigger or get caught up managing more people. Instead, he asked a different question: How could they maximize profitability out of the cows they already had? The answer...
Feb 15, 2026 | Educational Blog
Calf health is an important aspect of dairy farming because only healthy calves become productive dairy cows. Farmers and vets are always looking for tools to help them rear healthier calves and reduce reliance on antibiotics. Pneumonia, in particular, has long been a...
Feb 8, 2026 | Educational Blog
Year one with CowManager® is often about trust. Year two is about unlocking potential. Once CowManager is installed, producers spend the first several months learning the alerts, understanding the technology, and building confidence in the system. The CowManager ear...
Jan 25, 2026 | Educational Blog
Cow pregnancy rates have increased substantially over the past 30 years, with award-winning herds achieving pregnancy rates as high as 47%. Surprisingly, heifer-pregnancy rates have not kept pace, and that’s where many dairies are still leaving money on the table. The...
Jan 22, 2026 | Newsletters
Jan 16, 2026 | Educational Blog
A new independent study from Olds College of Agriculture & Technology (Alberta, Canada) shows that FerAppease®, a unique analogue of the naturally occurring Maternal Bovine Appeasing Substance (mBAS), improves feed efficiency, weight gain, rumination time and...
Jan 12, 2026 | Educational Blog
The uniqueness of CONVERT™ Day-One Calf Gel results from three distinct components: 1) the profile of beneficial bacteria, 2) Agrarian Solutions’ proprietary cell-wall deficient bacteria, and 3) the use of IgY or egg-derived antibodies. The science supporting IgY...
Jan 1, 2026 | Educational Blog
Technology is helping Hanke Farms take calf care to the next level. At the sixth-generation dairy in Sheboygan Falls, Wis., CowManager® is proving just as valuable for the youngstock as it has been for the cows. Now in its sixth generation, the Hanke and Taylor family...
Dec 28, 2025 | Educational Blog
It’s no secret why beef on dairy calf prices soared higher in 2025. The beef-cow herd, reduced by mass liquidations over the past few years due to drought, input costs, and interest rates, was at its smallest in decades at just 27 million (Figure 1). This decline has...
Feb 16, 2025 | Educational Blog
The last trimester of pregnancy is a critical period for determining the profitability of a cow-calf operation. Approximately 75% of fetal growth occurs during the final 90 days of gestation and the cow herself is preparing for the challenges of the calving process....
Feb 10, 2025 | New, Top Herds
Feb 9, 2025 | Educational Blog
When we think about “making every calf count,” heifer non-completion rate is a key performance indicator (KPI) that should definitely be on producers’ minds. Heifer non-completion rate is defined by the number of heifer replacements that never make it to the lactating...
Feb 2, 2025 | Educational Blog
Are you only treating cows with visible milk fever symptoms? For every cow that shows signs of milk fever (stumbling, off-feed, or simply looks “off”), there are many others silently dealing with subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH). Unlike clinical hypocalcemia (milk...
Jan 26, 2025 | Educational Blog
As we look to rebuild the U.S. beef-cow herd and meet the increasing demand for high-quality- beef products, we must strive to enhance the efficiencies of all beef-production enterprises. Profitability and efficiency in the cow-calf sector is heavily dependent on the...
Jan 23, 2025 | Educational Blog
Despite the wide-spread adoption of negative-dietary cation-anion differential close-up diets, an estimated 25-50% of newly freshened 2nd lactation and greater cows will experience subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH) or milk fever. The SCH cows (ionized calcium (iCa)...
Oct 21, 2024 | Educational Blog
Emily Middleton-Gyomory, Regional Consulting Manager Efficiency of absorption declines from birth, particularly after 12 hours. Feeding may induce earlier closure, but there is little colostral absorption after 24 hours of age even if the calf is starved. This...
Jan 18, 2024 | Educational Blog
CentralStar can conveniently test dairy cattle milk for A1/A2 status, Bovine Leukosis (BLV), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Johne’s Disease, Mastitis, and Pregnancy. Follow these steps to ensure proper sample collection and visit the Lab Services page on our website for...
