A training webinar focusing on improved rearing of heifers will take place on Thursday, February 3.
In the 60-minute lunchtime session on February 3 which gets underway at 12:15p.m, required management input to produce better heifers will be the primary focus.
The educational webinar is aimed at dairy farmers who are keen to rear herd replacements more efficiently.
Speakers at the webinar include Welsh dairy farmer and National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU) cymru milk board chair, Abi Reader, who will share her farming experience and top practical tips for better calf rearing.
Dr. Jessica Cooke and Samantha Sampson from Volac will also be speaking at the webinar.
Dr. Cooke will focus on feeding for efficient, sustainable growth through more effective calf nutrition, while Sampson will discuss the importance of using sustainable ingredients in calf milk formulas.
The webinar will run in conjunction with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Great British Calf Week.
Great British Calf Week
The inaugural Great British Calf Week will take place between February 2 and February 9, to celebrate the progress made by the industry since the launch of the GB Dairy Calf Strategy in 2020.
The week will include a series of online events, webinars and farm walks, each focusing on a different aspect of successful calf management.
Topics addressed throughout the event will include colostrum management, genetics and selecting the right sire for dairy-cross calves, labour, skills and enterprise management.
The GB Dairy Calf Strategy is a cross-industry campaign, initiated by AHDB and the NFU, and aims to ensure that all dairy-bred calves are reared with care and for a purpose – as part of either the dairy or beef supply chains.
A further aim of the event is to raise awareness of the work of the strategy and how farmers can be involved, according to the AHDB.