Dear Dairy Farmer,

In June, the SWNY team released a survey to understand better the on-farm use of tools to evaluate colostrum management. We had 22 responses, and as shown in Figure 1, just 22.7% of respondents assessed colostrum quality using a colostrometer or refractometer. In addition, just 9.1% consider their transfer of passive immunity as a way to check the colostrum program.

Figure 1. Responses of the survey released by the SWNY in June of 2023

Routinely evaluations of calf immune status are the gold standard to ensure we know we are succeeding in our colostrum program. However, performing it continuously can be time-consuming and expensive for some farms, especially considering labor challenges. Alternatively, colostrum audits once or twice a year can help farmers identify and troubleshoot problems or provide essential data to step up our colostrum management practices.

The SWNY team is doing a pilot experiment to understand how colostrum audits can help improve calf health, and we are looking for farms willing to participate. This would include:

• A farm visit to understand colostrum management and sampling for colostrum quality and blood samples to assess herd immune status;
• After visit summary, which will include a report and recommendations (if necessary) to improve herd immunity status;
• A follow-up visit to re-evaluate herd immune status six months after the first one.

Your cooperation will contribute significantly to a better understanding of calf audits to improve calf health and will be appreciated. If you are willing to participate, please add your information to the form below or contact Camila Lage at 607-422-6788 or cd546@cornell.edu

https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBKIKkKxY5rRWey

If you want to learn more about the importance of evaluating the transfer of passive immunity in your herd and colostrum audits, please read our latest article on it:   Transfer of passive immunity in calves: Ensuring calf health and profitability

I am looking forward to hearing from you

Warm regards,

Camila