At Busse's Barron Acres, we are committed to being the best for the sake of our animals, customers, and business. If we do a good job and take the best care of our animals, they will make a better milk cow for their dairies, which in turn helps to grow our business. It makes ethical AND financial sense for us to provide the best quality care for the babies. We know that you care too, which is why we are always happy to answer questions and explain our procedures. This is the business that we have honed by living in it for generations, and we need to be experts in our field. As professionals, we stay on top of current research, trends, and technologies in our field. We collaborate with some of the top veterinarians and experts across the country,and partner with great companies nationally and internationally to continue to improve. We base our decisions and procedures on research, science, and the results we see on a daily basis. Spend a day with any of us on the farm and you will see how deeply we truly care about the well-being of these animals. We often hear questions and rumors about our farm and the agriculture industry as a whole from people who don't have the advantage of living in the agriculture and food science industry on a daily basis. On this page, you will find some answers or explanations for some of these questions and myths in an effort to provide some clarity on the subject. If you have a question that isn't answered somewhere on this website, send us a message!
Answer: Generally speaking, the answer is no. (We own a few animals, but not many in the grand scheme of things.) We operate basically like a big extended day-care for calves. The farms that we work with pay us a daily-rate to take care of their calves. Why? We are able to specialize in the care of these young animals, which have very different requirements for care than a fully grown cow. We have tools and resources for the calves that we are able to have because we specialize, which is an advantage that many of these dairies wouldn't have. Calves are also very labor-intensive; they require a lot of TLC, time, and expertise that the dairies might not be able to realistically afford or provide. There are some other calf ranches who operate differently by purchasing the heifers from the dairies and then selling them back when they get bigger, but our method works well for us.
Answer: No. Most definitely no. Almost all of the animals on the farm are dairy heifers, which means they will be milk producing animals when they are fully grown. We own a few bull calves that we raise for beef for our family. The process of raising calves for veal is VERY different from what we do. Our animals have lots of room to move around in the daylight,and have a diet designed to help them grown big and strong so that they will be healthy milk cows.
Answer: There's a few reasons. First and foremost, these are dairy animals we are talking about. If a calf stays with the mother, it drinks all of the milk, leaving none for you and me! In order to have a dairy product, you have to have the milk available. The calves still get milk in the form of milk replacer. It just comes from a different source. People sometimes ask why we take them from the mother so quickly (usually within a day). The answer is for the safety of the calf. A calf is actually pretty fragile when you compare it to a full grown cow. Not only can you risk serious injury by the cow stepping on the calf (which is a real concern), the calf's immune system is also very fragile. By moving the calf to a clean, dry, safe environment, we can help ensure the health of the animal. The calf will still receive colostrum at the dairy before she arrives at Busse's Barron Acres. Colostrum is the milk a cow gives right after having a calf. It is very rich in essential nutrients and is necessary to give some immune system protection to the calf until she is able to develop her own immune system. The cows and calves adjust quickly and are quite content shortly after the separation.
Reality: The word "corporate" comes with a lot of connotations these days that don't always tell the entire story. Our farm is technically incorporated, but all that means is that we needed a situation that allowed for multiple partners to be owners of the business. When the farm became incorporated, it was to allow Sherry to be an equal partner with her parents, and eventually allowed them to add Micah Halvorson who had worked for the farm for many years. These four partners continue to run a family-based business. Yes, we have additional employees because the family isn't big enough to staff the entire farm and keep up with demand! That's because we ARE good at what we do. Our operation has grown as we've added more customers and our clients have also expanded their operations. We don't care about our animals any less than we did when we were only raising a few hundred calves every year. As farmers, our commitment is the the resources that allow us to continue to do what we do. If we don't take care of the environment and our animals, we don't have a farm. If we don't have a farm, we don't have food to feed our own families. Being incorporated doesn't change us or our mission. It just allows us to work together to get better at what we do.
Reality: Not at all! Everything we do provides for our calves even in the dead of winter. First of all, our huts are made so they keep the heat in and are facing south for ideal sunlight in the winter. Our huts are bedded with a combination of saw dust and straw for optimum dryness and heat. Each calf is also fitted with a Woolover jacket. This jackets stay on the animal the entire time they are in their huts! See the Woolover page on this website to find out more. Their feeding schedule is also designed so calves have eaten before the coldest part of the day. Ever wonder why we start so early? This is a huge reason why. If calves are full they can handle the weather better. We also have engineered some doors to help with those calves who need a little extra protection. This is a temporary fix just to help the animal warm up. If a calf is in need of more attention we transport them to a building we have named the ICU or Intense Calf Unit. Calves are brought up to this heated area temporarily until the calf can get to feeling better. This time can range from a few hours to a few days. This area has individual huts and makes it easier for us to give those needy calves the attention they need. After the calf recovers they go back out to their huts and their pen is cleaned and readied for the next one. We do our best to minimize the amount of time calves spend in our ICU because like livestock of any age or type respiratory issues can develop without fresh air. Check out our pictures to see what we are doing to make sure our calves are thriving in the winter weather!
Answer: We do not use calf barns or use an automated calf feeder because it does not best serve our animals. There are many reasons for why we do what we do but the main reason is animal health. Our calves are outside, and although being outside brings its own challenges, a individual hut that is outside is the best place for a calf to thrive. The individual huts with both spaces for shelter and to be outside provides animals with their space they need in order to stay healthy. Individual huts provides a defense against contamination with our animals. That means when illnesses occur we can identify and treat the afflicted animal. If our animals were in a building or using a automated feeder the ability to isolate, identify and contain problems is harder or even impossible. Busse's Barron Acres prides ourselves on staying up to date on what will best serve our animals. We are constantly reviewing our procedures with experts in order to make sure we can keep doing our best. If you would like to see some of our results of what we do check out our Costumer page. Everything we do at Busse's has been tested and retested and we will continue to do so. Our calves receive the individual human attention that no machine can replace.