Joining us today is Dr. Jill Soderstrom, a dairy young animal solutions specialist with Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Solutions. Dr. Soderstrom has a passion for improving animal well-being and performance by supporting animal health and optimizing the gut microbiome. She’s especially interested in calves because those early-life stages provide an important opportunity to influence the future health and performance of the dairy cow. 

In today’s conversation, we’ll take a closer look at the calf’s gut microbiome, why it’s so important to early-life health and how milk replacer and management practices can influence gut health. We’ll also discuss practical steps producers can take to support a healthy microbiome and give their calves the best possible start.