Research conducted on a dairy farm in Central Wisconsin during 2013 using White River Ag’s straw pellets as bedding for dairy calves has shown some very promising and exciting results. Traditional wood based bedding products sometimes can irritate the respiratory tract of young animals, causing infection and subsequent reduced milking potential when the animal enters the milking herd. Calves raised with the straw pellets were released to the milking herd an average of three months earlier than calves raised using wood based bedding materials. This has resulted in an average savings of $750 per animal, due to improved overall health as a result of decreased incidences of lung infections and subsequent illness. The straw pellets appear to be extremely animal friendly, and provide additional benefits beyond healthier lungs. The pellets by their nature move waste liquid away from the animal so it will not sit directly on it, and farmers have commented that as they break down, the resulting bed retains heat more readily. Additionally, waste bedding is an excellent soil amendment, ready to be spread as soon as weather allows. The fibers in the pellet contain only shredded straw, which will give an instant boost to the organic content of any soil.
