Calf-rearing

Maize is pretty amazing for dairy farmers with both environmental and animal feed benefits that align with Fonterra’s target of 80% home-grown feed. Hear about Nestle’s recent presentation at a FAR maize field day, how maize is expanding into Southland with short maturing hybrids and how a Waikato dairy farmer is hitting $9,000/ha operating profit regardless of the payout.

The rewards for good preparation leading into calf rearing won’t just be felt this spring, they’ll go on for years as well-grown heifers become productive, long-time members of the herd.

On-Farm Research at the Poukawa Research Farm did much pioneering research on calf rearing from the mid 1990s, rearing about 8000 calves across a wide range of trials. Paul Muir offers his thoughts on what is still relevant to current calf rearers

Failure of calves to get sufficient colostrum and acquire early immunity is a world-wide problem, Paul Muir writes.

Paul Muir and staff from On-Farm Research at the Poukawa Research Farm in Hawke’s Bay have been researching calf rearing since 1996. They have put together an update of calf rearing costs for the 2023 season.

Paul Muir and staff from On-Farm Research at the Poukawa Research Farm in Hawke’s Bay have been researching calf rearing since 1996. They have put together an update of calf rearing costs for the 2023 season.

Paul Muir and staff from On-Farm Research at the Poukawa Research Farm in Hawke’s Bay have been researching the calf rearing market since 1996. They have put together an update of how they think the market for calf rearing will look in the 2022/23 season.