Dairy Initiatives

Dairy

Department of Animal Science

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Squeaky Clean at the
Scherbring Heifer Hotel

Here's how one family is making biosecurity
part of its specialized enterprise.

HUGH CHESTER-JONES
Southern Research and Outreach Center
University of Minnesota, Waseca

With demand for high-quality heifers at an all-time high, heifer raising is emerging as a self-supporting enterprise in Minnesota. Because they move calves and heifers among multiple farm sites, such enterprises require special attention to biosecurity -- the prevention of disease transmission.

A successful biosecurity plan reduces risk of disease transmission by identifying and modifying the riskiest parts of the operation. Here's how Minnesota City heifer growers Ron and Marianne Scherbring have improved biosecurity at the Heifer Hotel, a specialized heifer growing facility.

Background

Scherbrings opened the Heifer Hotel in the early 1990s. They housed more than 1,000 dairy heifer replacements from 2 days to more than 10 months old on their former dairy farm site and also operated another site with 200 to 300 pre- and early post-weaned heifers. The system included four phases. Phase 1 was four facilities for 400 individually fed calves in 4-foot by 4-foot pens with removable solid panels on three sides (two greenhouses, one hoop barn, one renovated machinery shed). Phase 2 consisted of group weaning transition pens, and phase 3 consisted of freestall barns for larger TMR-fed groups. In phase 4, heifers used a bedded manure pack barn and loafing area.

The system had an all-in, all-out policy for phase 1; calf groups of 20 to 30 in phase 2; and groups of up to 100 heifers in the final phases. A central building was used for power washing the panels for phase 1. Manure was scraped into two lagoon storage areas for the other phases.

Time for Change

Things changed in fall 2001. The Scherbrings had been approached to take on new clients. To meet the added demand they would need space for 2,200 head. They knew they had environmental compliance limitations. They were satisfied with their existing biosecurity but had identified some critical points that would have to be addressed to increase their capacity. They also wanted to maintain the same labor force of five employees for the expanded operation.

Why specialize?

The Scherbrings began their vision when they realized their milking operation would not support extended family members and they did not have space to expand their dairy. At the same time, changes in dairy farming created demand for specialized heifer growers. So the Scherbrings decided to try the heifer-raising business. They worked through a management plan with goals to determine how many heifers they needed to cash flow the operation with some new facilities. By specializing, they have been able to build heifer-raising skills beyond those of the traditional dairy farm operator. The ability to handle large numbers of heifers allows for precise management of feed and bedding to improve the economic efficiency of the enterprise.

Research has shown that in the Midwest, heifers raised on specialized units had lower rearing costs and more consistently met goals for optimal growth and age at first calving than those grown on dairy operations.

The Scherbrings demolished the old dairy barn, upright silos, and pig barn. In their place is a new barn for 180 individually fed calves, increasing phase 1 capacity to 580 head (see cartoon). A 300-head curtain-sided transition barn replaced the old dairy cow shelter and loafing area. The original freestall barns remain. A crushed-rock lane circling the farm allows access to all buildings.

Biosecurity

Biosecurity and health begin with animal husbandry and comfort. The Scherbrings always ask, "What can we do to optimize animal comfort and health to support the growth goals that our clients expect?" Their general philosophy is all-in, all-out for phase 1. Sick calves are isolated when appropriate. In all phases they emphasize daily animal observations, clean and dry bedding, clean alleys, clean water, and consistent, high-quality feed. One skid loader is used exclusively for manure scraping. A trailer is dedicated for moving calves from individual to group pens.

Key points of the Scherbrings' biosecurity protocol include:

• Good communication with dairy clients and employees is critical.
• Dairy clients are required to ensure optimum passive colostral immunity transfer and maintain sound disease-prevention protocols for pre-fresh cows

PHASE 1 (Isolated Management-Area A in Cartoon):

• Calves are delivered in groups of six to eight calves three to four times a week. Calves from different farms are kept separate. The hauling truck is washed between calf groups and disinfected weekly. Calves are unloaded at one checkpoint only (see cartoon).
• Calves from each dairy are kept separated for 30 days. A separate wash facility is used for power-washing panels between calf groups. Pens are scraped clean with a skid loader and rebedded. A new power wash and milk mixing area was added in the upgrade; waste water is channeled underground through a pumping station to a central lagoon.
• Employees follow specific protocols for checking serum proteins and taking temperatures of calves upon arrival and during the pre-weaned period.
• Calves are screened to see if they carry BVD or other diseases. Calves are weighed periodically.
  
• The health program, established with the veterinarian, is adjusted based on calf autopsies. With the additional animals, the Scherbrings can afford the extra effort and expense of continuously refining their health program.
  
• Each calf is given precise amounts of milk replacer at each feeding.
  
• All routine chores are conducted in the same sequence daily. Calves are bedded on schedule. A precise amount of bedding is distributed using a hitch-mounted container with a distribution auger.
  

PHASE 2 (Isolated Management-Area B in Cartoon):

• All new facilities have staff access doors inside each management area. No access doors on outside of buildings are open to the public.
  
• Group sizes reflect the number of calves in the all-in, all-out rotation from individual pens. Transition groups of 30 to 40 calves keep the flow of heifers through the system. Excellent staff husbandry skills make this possible (smaller groups are usually recommended). Calves remain here for one to two months.
  

PHASE 3 (Isolated Management-Area C in Cartoon):

• A limited number of self-locking gates are used for working heifers. Stalls are rebedded weekly; alleys are scraped daily into a common lagoon storage.
  
• For phases 2 and 3, the new perimeter lane (see cartoon) allows the feed truck to distribute TMR in a consistent sequence from younger transition to older heifer group pens. A direct access alley link can be set up to move heifers to the freestall barns.
  
• The new access lane allows heifers from the off-farm site to be moved directly into Area C housing on this site.
  

The Scherbrings have just been accredited as a five-star heifer-raising operation for Best Management Practices by the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association (PDHGA).

Editor's note: For more information on growing heifers, see the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association Web site.

D A I R Y    I n i t i a t i v e s    N E W S L E T T E R
Volume 11    Issue 1    Spring 2002