Farmer Focus: Intensive setups inspire calf health plans
Ewan McCracken © Steffan Hill If there’s one thing that we Northern Irish farmers are good at, it’s having a strong, unwavering opinion.
Whether it’s spring or autumn block, compactor or no compactor, small cows or big cows, dairy farming is one of the only industries where no matter how different your path, the end goal is still the same.
No wonder it’s so hard for us to agree.
See also: Five ways to achieve zero treatments and losses in calves
About the author
You won’t have to reach any further than your pocket to realise that anyone with access to the internet can alter the dynamic of the industry with a single different viewpoint from the mainstream.
So should we have our opinions challenged more often? If it’s not from social media (which is having the biggest influence on my generation), how else is your thinking challenged?
Are there aspects from other farms that we could learn from?
During my travels with Nuffield last summer, I started to experience just this.
As great as it was to see some really well-run spring units across the UK, I started to realise the challenges we face on our own farm might be answered from the other end of the dairy spectrum – especially by intensive indoor units.
Last time you heard from me, we were well under way with calving, thankfully with negligible hiccups.
Fast forward, and heifer calves are performing well off grass, reaching target weaning weights of 90kg – and that’s before I mention the beef calf prices.
However, as we all know, it is never this straightforward.
Those rearing calves in tight blocks will know that 80% of poor health occurs in the last 20% of calves.
It begins to feel like a never-ending battle, and that no matter how much medicine to prevent diarrhoea, electrolytes, and tender loving care you throw at them, it is inevitable that they will still get sick.
What does analysing intensive units have to offer my system? They have had to master the art of recycling calf housing, allowing hundreds of calves to pass through the same pens, while maximising calf health.
Sanitation in the form of foot-baths at sick pens, vaccine timings and colostrum intakes are some aspects that we hope to work on next year.
It is important that we challenge biases. Maybe it’s time we had some more low-input farmers with a front-facing camera to level out the playing field.