330 | Why Beef-on-Dairy Calves Fail to Thrive in the Feedyard with Stephanie Hansen
On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Dr. Stephanie Hansen of Iowa State University at Adisseo’s VIP seminar about why beef-on-dairy calves often fail to thrive in the feedlot. Hansen, a feedlot “mineral nerd,” explains how high liver copper—seen in necropsy results at 800–900 ppm—can originate from late-gestation cow diets and be compounded in dairy systems by copper-fortified milk replacer and starter feed while calves are still functionally monogastric, leading to greater absorption. Research funded by the Iowa Beef Checkoff found high liver copper did not affect vaccine response but did worsen outcomes in a respiratory disease challenge, increasing fever, clinical signs, and lung consolidation, alongside systemic inflammation and potentially compromised liver health. Action steps include moderating copper in late-gestation and calf starter diets, avoiding feedlot copper over-fortification, reassessing frequent vaccination protocols, and considering zinc’s anti-inflammatory benefits. Hansen also notes she writes national-park crime thrillers under the pen name SL Hansen, with a new book due April 2026.
This Episode is brought to you by Adisseo
This episode is sponsored by Uplevel Dairy Podcast Founding Partner Adisseo, a global leader in nutritional solutions and premier provider of rumen-protected methionine for dairy producers who want to optimize milk production, capture more value from components, and maintain the health of their high-performing herds. Learn more at https://www.adisseo.com/en/
00:00 Why Calves Struggle
00:45 Sponsor Message
01:30 Meet Mineral Nerd
03:21 Feedlot Mystery Copper
04:46 Beef Copper Fortification
07:25 Dairy System One Two Punch
09:26 Toxicity Signs Inflammation
12:34 Respiratory Challenge Study
15:25 Other Thrive Factors
17:29 Producer Action Steps
21:15 Zinc Balancing Idea
22:04 Author Side Quest
23:56 Wrap Up Takeaways
