Agriland Media Group is delighted to host a new series in association with Teagasc DairyBeef 500 focusing on calf rearing.
The aim of DairyBeef 500 is to promote and demonstrate dairy-beef systems, which are socially, environmentally and financially sustainable.
Over the next four weeks, Agriland will publish the Spring Calf Series of articles and video content with information for farmers on all aspects of calf rearing as part of this exclusive series.
The collaboration with Teagasc will include a focus on buying calves, calf health, feeding calves, weaning, using the dairy-beef index, as well as other information on trials being undertaken at Grange.
Spring Calf Series
The first in the series of articles will focus on the physical traits of calf prior to purchase by a farmer.
The article and video will advise farmers on the key areas to look for in a calf, i.e. what makes a healthy calf, what questions to ask when purchasing a calf e.g., regarding vaccinations, colostrum etc., and the physical traits of the calf such as their eyes, naval and nose.
The second instalment in the series will focus on using the commercial beef value (CBV) to purchase dairy-beef calves.
It will outline what the CBV is and how it can be used to select animals. Farmers will also garner information on the differences between high CBV and low CBV calves and how the CBV can be accessed.
The third instalment in the series will focus on creating the correct environment for calf performance.
Readers will be given information on the correct use of space on-farm, ventilation, bedding, drainage and even repurposing existing buildings if needs be.
This will be followed by a feature on keeping dairy-beef calves healthy after puchase.
Farmers will be provided with information on what the common illnesses associated with the calf-rearing period are, the importance of vaccination programmes, and why hygiene is crucial.
The fifth instalment in the series will focus on feeding dairy-beef calves. This feature will cover everything from mixing milk correctly, to milk replacer feeding rates.
This will be followed in the series with a feature and video content on using the dairy-beef index (DBI) to better breed beef.
The areas which will be covered in this segment will centre around what the DBI is and how it works, with a farmer’s perspective on using DBI to select beef sires and also the relationship between DBI and CBV.
The importance of weaning correctly is another aspect of the DairyBeef 500 Spring Calf Series which will feature on Agriland.
It will focus on why rumen development is so critical, the significance of feeding the calf in advance of weaning, transitioning the calf to an outdoor environment and meal feeding in the weeks post-turnout.
During the series, the Agriland audience will also be given an update on the trials being planned for 2023 at the Grange dairy-beef research unit.
DairyBeef 500
The main objectives of the DairyBeef 500 programme include:
- Targeting a net margin of €500/ha (does not include family labour or land costs);
- Creating greater integration between beef and dairy industries;
- Improving the beef merit of calves coming from the dairy herd;
- Increasing the adoption of best practices, especially in relation to grassland management and calf rearing;
- Reducing the environmental footprint of dairy-beef production;
- Establishing a cohort of profitable dairy-beef producers.