Turning Data Into Better Decisions for Growth, Health and Welfare in Dairy Calves Through Precision Livestock Technology

By Cora Okkema

Raising healthy, high-performing heifers has always required a careful balance of nutrition, health management and environmental control. Precision livestock technology offers new ways to fine-tune the balance between management and animal well-being, moving beyond herd averages to focus on individual calf success. In a MSU Extension webinar session led by João Costa, Ph.D., he shared how data-driven tools can help dairy producers rethink calf management, improve outcomes, and make smarter decisions every day.

From group management to individual care with precision technology

Precision technology isn’t a silver bullet, but when used effectively, it transforms how producers manage calves. Instead of relying on group-level observations, sensors and automated systems allow farms to monitor each calf’s intake, behavior, and health in real time and over periods of time. This shift helps managers not only see if calves are performing well but also understand why some thrive while others fall behind. Costa emphasized that his team’s work focuses on building systems that empower producers, not replace them. The goal is simple: use technology as a tool to enhance human decision-making, improve welfare, and catch problems before they escalate.

Rethinking growth: it’s about more than the average

Growth monitoring on farms begins and ends with reporting Average Daily Gain (ADG). But Costa challenges producers to dig deeper. Instead of asking, “What’s our average?” he suggests asking:

• How many calves are actually hitting the growth targets?
• How wide is the gap between top and bottom performers?

ADG is more than just a number, it’s a reflection of nutrition, health, environment, and genetics. A common benchmark is for calves to triple their birth weight by weaning, which typically means gaining around 2.4 lbs./day (1.1 kg./day). By using software tools or even simple Excel models, farms can compare expected growth against actual performance, helping identify underperforming calves early and provide targeted interventions. Growth modeling tools, such as those provided on the Extension Foundation website, allow producers to simulate how calves should grow based on diet and intake data. When actual weights start to diverge from these predictions, it’s a clear signal to investigate. For example, calves falling below expected growth after week three often point to issues like poor starter intake or undiagnosed illness. By comparing actual farm data to modeled expectations, farms can catch these setbacks sooner, improving both short-term gains and long-term productivity.