Episode notes
Record-high heifer prices, tighter antibiotic rules, and labor costs topping $53 billion have made “business as usual” calf management a fast track to red ink. This episode dismantles conventional wisdom and proves that a targeted $35-per-calf nutrition investment can flip the balance sheet—delivering 420 percent ROI, slashing disease losses, and adding more than 1,100 pounds of first-lactation milk. If you think calf programs are just a cost, prepare to rethink your entire profit model.
Key Takeaways
- Reveal the hidden lifetime cost of one sick calf—and why it now exceeds treatment bills.
- Decode the “Vulnerability Triangle” linking gut integrity, immunity, and stress to your bottom line.
- See how 1.8 lb/day pre-weaning growth epigenetically programs higher milk yield.
- Compare ROI on probiot ...
Keywords
dairy farm profitabilitydairy calf nutritiondairy calf nutrition economicscalf health ROIeplacement heifer costsimprove calf ADG