Body growth and reproduction traits were followed in 51 female Holstein Friesian calves at one herd in Flanders (Belgium). After an overnight fast, 3-d-old calves were weighed and blood samples were taken to determine fasting glucose (GLU_F) and insulin (INS_F) levels. All calves were kept indoors during the first year of life, and were fed according to their requirements for maintenance and growth. Every 3 mo until their first calving, body weight was recorded, as well as insemination dates and date of calving. Calves weighed 39.1 ± 4.26 kg at birth and were classified in 3 categories dependent on their daily growth rate during the first 6 mo of life: slow (<750 g/day; n = 6); moderate (750 to 950 g/day; n = 40) and fast growing (>950 g/day; n = 5). Analysis of variance was used to compare Glu_F and body weight between categories and the differences in Ins_F were assessed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. GLU_F was 6.0 ± 0.63 mmol/L without significant differences between the 3 groups (P = 0.16). INS_F was 7.2 ± 4.76 mU/L in moderately growing calves. Slow growing calves had higher INS_F of 12.9 ± 9.10 mU/L in comparison to the fast growing ones (4.3 ± 2.39 mU/L, P < 0.05). Calves were inseminated at 14.9 mo. Heifers that were growing > 950 g/day weighed 472 ± 45 kg at first insemination, which was significantly more than the moderately and slow growing calves (respectively 414 ± 42 and 378 ± 29 kg, P < 0.05). The effect of early growth was still visible at first calving, as the fastest growing heifers weighed 734 ± 144 kg, which was significantly more than the heifers with a moderate growth rate (615 ± 72 kg, P < 0.05). In human medicine, low INS_F is seen in newborns that are small for gestational age, which is indicative for an increased insulin sensitivity to glucose and resembles conditions of prolonged fasting. Although in our research, no difference in birth weight was observed, the association of low insulin levels with subsequently high daily growth rates resembles the human situation of catch up growth. Based on these preliminary results, we suggest that low fasting insulin levels in newborns could be the result of a suboptimal environment during gestation and could be a forecast of catch-up growth during early life.