Dr. Margret Vonholdt-Wenker: Rethinking Cow-Calf Contact | Ep. 197

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Margret Vonholdt-Wenker, postdoctoral researcher at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, explains prolonged cow calf contact systems and their implications for dairy production. She discusses housing models, calf and cow welfare outcomes, management requirements, milk production impacts, weaning challenges, and practical adoption considerations across Europe. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Calves in contact systems can drink according to natural intake patterns and develop within a social herd environment.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Margret Vonholdt-Wenker is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany. Her work focuses on animal behavior and developing housing systems that support natural behavior while maintaining health. With more than ten years of experience in cow-calf contact systems, she also received the 2024 IGN Research Award for her research on dairy welfare. Listen to The Dairy Podcast Show featuring Dr. Margret Vonholdt-Wenker on all major platforms.

Liked this one? Don’t stop now — Here’s what we think you’ll love!

What you'll learn:

• (00:00) Highlight
• (01:32) Introduction
• (02:58) Prolonged cow calf contact
• (04:53) Welfare and health
• (07:53) Housing management
• (16:00) Foster cow systems
• (21:42) Weaning challenges
• (28:20) Final Questions

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