Tours will provide interactive, inside look at three approaches to raising healthy calves
DAIRY NEWS – Healthy calves are the foundation of a productive dairy herd, but there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to raising calves and replacement heifers. The 2026 Calf Facility Tours presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) will provide the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes perspective of three progressive dairy operations and the management practices, equipment and technologies they use to care for the youngest members of their herd.
Each tour will be led by farm hosts and provide opportunities for attendees to ask questions of the hosts. Attendees can select one or more of the tours.
Tuesday, August 11, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Truttman Dairy LLC, N9682 County Road J, Blanchardville, Wis.
See how auto feeders support healthy calves in a facility where calves start in a nursery barn, then are transitioned to group housing with auto feeders.
Wednesday, August 12, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Calf Source, 3586 Cooperstown Road, De Pere, Wis.
Learn the protocols and practices behind effective large-scale calf raising for the Milk Source family of dairies; the farm is home to 11,000 dairy and beef calves and 4,000 goat kids.
Thursday, August 13, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
McFarlandale Dairy, N302 County Road K, Watertown, Wis.
Tour new facilities designed for health and biosecurity where youngstock are raised in four all-in, all-out barns with individual housing until six months of age, then transition to a monoslope group housing barn.
“If you’re considering changes to your calf-raising practices or making investments into new equipment or technologies, touring other farms is a great way to see those practices in action and learn from people who work with calves every day,” said Patty Dolph, Lake Mills, Wis. dairy producer and PDP board secretary. “Conversations with dairy farm hosts and other attendees always provide new ideas and insights to put to work on your own farm right away.”
To learn more and register for the program, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDP at 800-947-7379. Each tour is accredited for up to 2.0 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education credits. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following PDP on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
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