calf rearing

24 year old Exeter young farmer Elle Slade said it made sense to go into calf rearing, because 'acreage is very low'. She said her new venture was her way of bringing something back to the family farm

Elle Slade has been encouraged to follow her own path on the family farm and has set up her own successful calf rearing business, whilst working part time at a nearby fattening unit

A common issue affecting pre-weaned dairy calves, rumen drinking can have significant impacts on calf performance and in severe cases can result in death

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

An all-encompassing approach which starts before a heifer is even born has helped Stowell Farms reduce their average age at first calving by two months in the last three years

A high standard of colostrum management and a slow weaning process are two ‘non-negotiable' elements of calf rearing for Staffordshire-based Dan Lovatt, who milks 1,000 Jersey cross Friesian spring calvers across two site

Achieving optimal efficiency in the pre-weaning period is key to reducing heifer rearing costs and improving herd sustainability

After a steady start to calving at Houghton Lodge in early February we were fully back on track by the beginning of March and had delivered over 630 calvings in four weeks equating to 59% of the expected 1,070 calvings due by the beginning of May

Knowing what ingredients should be present within a milk powder is key to assessing its quality as the quantity and origin of ingredients can impact calf performance