Rewarding farmers who embrace sustainability
Winners of DairyNZ’s Sustainability and Stewardship awards in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards have their eyes firmly fixed on progressing a positive future for New Zealand dairy.
Newborn calves are vulnerable to cold and disease, so careful handling, feeding and hygiene are important to get them safely through their first 24 hours, DairyNZ points out.
When bringing calves from the paddock to the shed, make sure the trailer is clean and disinfected.
Handle calves gently – they are babies! Do not overload the transport – all calves must be able to lie down. Treat the navel with iodine again when you get to the shed.
Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces after calving. Collect colostrum and feed it to every calf in the first six hours of life.
Colostrum is very high in antibodies that protect the calf against disease. Calves easily absorb the antibodies in the first few hours, but after 24 hours they absorb very little. Calves that don’t get enough colostrum in the first 24 hours are more likely to get scours or pneumonia and are twice as likely to die in the first two months.
Around half of calves left with their dam for 24 hours do not get enough colostrum. DairyNZ says don’t starve them – tube feed them.
“Don’t be tempted to starve newborn calves overnight so that they get hungry and will drink. By the morning, their ability to absorb antibodies will have almost gone. If they won’t drink, tube feed them.”
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
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