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Accelerated Calf and Heifer Growth

alternative practice names:

Improving Dairy Heifer Growth Rate; High-Quality Calf Feeding; Accelerated Heifer Growth; Accelerated Early Nutrition

An accelerated calf and heifer growth program aims to enhance the growth rates of dairy heifers through improved nutrition and management practices, with the goal of reducing the age at first calving (AFC). By targeting breeding at around 13 months and calving at approximately 22 months, this approach allows heifers to enter the milking herd earlier than the traditional AFC of 24-26 months. 


Key components include:


  • Colostrum intake: Ensuring immediate colostrum intake post-birth is crucial for providing immunoglobulins, supporting calf health, and setting the foundation for rapid growth.

  • Calf feeding practices: Increasing milk or milk replacer intake from 2 to 6 weeks promotes rapid early growth and a higher level of nutrition.

  • Weaning management: Implementing a gradual reduction in milk while encouraging calf starter grain intake supports the development of a functional rumen, reduces stress, and ensures a smooth transition during weaning.

  • Post-weaning nutrition: Shifting to a balanced, high-protein, energy-dense diet supports continuous, healthy growth while avoiding excessive fat deposition after weaning. 

  • Health and reproductive management: Providing regular health check-ups, vaccinations, and parasite control prevents diseases and ensures the success of the accelerated growth program.

  • Monitoring: Monitoring body condition, weight, and height ensures that growth targets are met without compromising future health or reproductive success.


Proper management during the early stages of life is critical to the success of the accelerated growth program, making it a valuable strategy for improving dairy farm efficiency and profitability. Increasing rearing effectiveness can significantly reduce the number of replacements that need to be raised and the associated rearing costs, but it also has important consequences on the environmental impact.

When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found: 

Northwest, West, Upper Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast

FARM SIZE 

When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:

Over 500 cows

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Practice Benefits 

Earlier weaning: Accelerated growth supports earlier weaning, which can reduce labor and feed costs associated with extended milk feeding.


Stronger immune function and improved health: Improved nutrition enhances immune system development. Early and adequate intake of high-quality colostrum provides passive immunity that significantly reduces preweaning morbidity and mortality while also offering long-term benefits such as improved growth, earlier calving, enhanced milk production, and lower culling rates. These benefits are due to the protective immunoglobulins and bioactive compounds in colostrum that support postnatal growth and development (Godden et al., 2019).


Increased lifetime productivity: Calves on accelerated programs typically have higher lifetime milk production and overall productivity, benefiting the dairy operation's efficiency and profitability. Rapid growth during the first two months of life is positively associated with increased milk yield in adulthood, driven by both milk replacer and starter feed intake. Studies show that achieving an average daily gain (ADG) greater than 0.5 kg/day during this period correlates with improved milking performance, likely due to epigenetic, metabolic, and mammary gland developments (Bach et al., 2021).


Improved farm profitability: Accelerated growth reduces the time and costs associated with rearing replacement heifers, leading to lower overall rearing costs and earlier returns on investment. Studies indicate that this practice can increase a farm's gross margin by 14-28%, depending on farm size and management (Sommerseth et al., 2024). The average age at first calving also affected the net costs of raising replacement heifers; reducing the age at first calving by as little as one month lowered the cost of a replacement program by 4.3% (Tozer & Heinrichs, 2001).

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Implementation Insights

Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements 

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In most cases, there are no specific site or farm requirements.

Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

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There are no capital expenditures associated with this practice.

Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

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  • Feed costs: High-quality feeding programs often involve the use of more expensive, nutrient-dense feeds to ensure optimal growth rates. This can increase ongoing feed costs, but these costs may be offset by improved growth efficiency and reduced time to first calving.

  • Labor and management: Maintaining a high-quality feeding regimen requires consistent monitoring and management. This includes regular feed analysis, adjustments to feeding protocols, and close monitoring of heifer growth, all of which can increase labor costs.

Implementation Considerations

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  • Nutritional expertise: Implementing high-quality feeding strategies requires a strong understanding of animal nutrition, particularly in balancing energy and protein to optimize growth while avoiding over-conditioning. Accelerated growth requires precise nutritional management, especially during the calf stage, to avoid issues such as overfeeding or underfeeding, which can negatively impact heifer health and future productivity. Enhanced veterinary care is necessary to monitor and address any health concerns that may arise from rapid growth.

  • Feed consistency: Ensuring consistent feed quality and availability can be challenging, particularly in regions where feed ingredients vary seasonally or where high-quality feed is not readily accessible. This can lead to variability in heifer growth rates and complicate management. At the time of weaning, abrupt changes in calf grain result in calf growth and health setbacks.

  • Management complexity: Implementing accelerated growth involves careful coordination of feeding, health monitoring, and reproductive management. This approach demands higher management expertise and attention to detail compared to traditional heifer-rearing practices.

Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams

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Environmental Impacts

MAY REDUCE FARM GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT

Little scientific research directly evaluates the practice's impact on a farm's environmental footprint. However, accelerated calf and heifer growth programs can improve feed use efficiency,¹ which may reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of milk (emission intensity).


See research highlights below:


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¹ Sommerseth et al. (2024) pointed out that faster-growing heifers require less total feed to reach maturity, which reduces the demand for feed production and thereby decreases the associated emissions from feed cultivation, transportation, and processing.

REFerences

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Alignment with FARM Program

This practice is not included in the FARM program.

Contents

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We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

Contents

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Practice Overview

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An accelerated calf and heifer growth program aims to enhance the growth rates of dairy heifers through improved nutrition and management practices, with the goal of reducing the age at first calving (AFC). By targeting breeding at around 13 months and calving at approximately 22 months, this approach allows heifers to enter the milking herd earlier than the traditional AFC of 24-26 months. 


Key components include:


  • Colostrum intake: Ensuring immediate colostrum intake post-birth is crucial for providing immunoglobulins, supporting calf health, and setting the foundation for rapid growth.

  • Calf feeding practices: Increasing milk or milk replacer intake from 2 to 6 weeks promotes rapid early growth and a higher level of nutrition.

  • Weaning management: Implementing a gradual reduction in milk while encouraging calf starter grain intake supports the development of a functional rumen, reduces stress, and ensures a smooth transition during weaning.

  • Post-weaning nutrition: Shifting to a balanced, high-protein, energy-dense diet supports continuous, healthy growth while avoiding excessive fat deposition after weaning. 

  • Health and reproductive management: Providing regular health check-ups, vaccinations, and parasite control prevents diseases and ensures the success of the accelerated growth program.

  • Monitoring: Monitoring body condition, weight, and height ensures that growth targets are met without compromising future health or reproductive success.


Proper management during the early stages of life is critical to the success of the accelerated growth program, making it a valuable strategy for improving dairy farm efficiency and profitability. Increasing rearing effectiveness can significantly reduce the number of replacements that need to be raised and the associated rearing costs, but it also has important consequences on the environmental impact.

Practices and technologies

Accelerated Calf and Heifer Growth

alternative practice name:

Improving Dairy Heifer Growth Rate; High-Quality Calf Feeding; Accelerated Heifer Growth; Accelerated Early Nutrition