Tube feeding – good or bad?
Calf rearing expert and veterinary consultant Dr Bas Schouten responds to comments published by Dr Lucy Waldron about tube feeding of newborn calves.
The programme was discussed at the recent New Zealand Veterinary Association Sheep, Beef and Deer Conference in Queenstown earlier this month.
Gross farm income increased by $12.37 per ewe for farmers using the StockCARE system, compared to the farms in the same regions in the Meat and Wool Economic Survey.
The programme was tested for over three years (2001-2003) and focused on identifying and defining the key performance indicators of all production systems on each farm. It also monitored farm soil fertility and financial performance.
The pilot farms’ cash surpluses increased by 48% compared to 21% in the M&WES survey.
Veterinarian Chris Mulvaney, from AgriNetworks in Te Awamutu, who designed the programme, told the conference that StockCARE is designed to help sheep and beef farmers measure what they manage within their business.
It is based on the principles of adult learning, change management and business improvement.
“It is a proven effective programme for farmers committed to improving their performance,” says Mulvaney. “It’s unique in that it has a particular focus on animal production systems as these are the real drivers of farm performance and profitability.”
A between-farm comparison was used to identify opportunities for improvement in all the production systems. Each individual farm was compared to the top quartile, average and low quartile for the outcome and key drivers.
The farms that make up the top and low quartiles are the same farms for the drivers. Nutrition, genetics and animal health are the main opportunities for improvement.
Mulvaney says the programme has some important points of difference such as incorporating principles of adult learning, change management and business improvement.
“Its real strength is in knowing what others do on their farms and knowing what you are doing on your farm is powerful.”
