24-year-old Exeter young farmer Elle Slade said it made sense to go into calf rearing due to the low acreage requirement. She said her new venture was her way of bringing something back to the family farm
In today's episode of Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown discusses criticism of Government's response to foot-and-mouth disease in Germany and concerns raised over checks for illegal meat imports, Riverford Organic founder condemns supermarkets' support of farmers fighting to overturn the family farm tax as a ‘cynical, hypocritical' public relations stunt, and British dairy farmers have significantly reduced the number of pure-bred dairy bull calves being born on farms
A focus on the careful sourcing of calves, while working closely with the farm vet has helped the Wilkinson family adopt a preventative approach to their calf rearing system
Navel infections are a common issue in calves and globally 25-30% will have a navel infection early in life
Feeding pre-weaned dairy calves the right amount of a proven, highly digestible calf milk formula is economically crucial to make the most of early life feed conversion efficiency
Dairy calf rearers can derive a horde of animal health rewards by feeding high quality colostrum for longer and a recent farmer survey shows most farmers are open to the practice if it were shown to be beneficial with adjustments to labour, equipment, and facilities
A three-way cross is proving the winning formula for one Lanarkshire family dairy enterprise
After launching its new lower carbon beef range last month, Katie Fallon looks at how Sainsbury’s has practically lowered its carbon footprint and what it means for farmers looking to get involved
Attention to detail when it comes to rearing calves is the foundation for a successful herd