Displaying items by tag: calving

Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many farmers at events and one-on-one.

Success in calf rearing is often measured by minimising health issues and achieving target weaning weights.

As dairy farmers know all too well, the calving season brings with it significant nutritional demands on the herd.

We've come a long way in dairy farming over the past couple of decades. Genetics are better, sheds are more modern and we have more data at our fingertips than ever before.

At the heart of the SmaXtec system is the ability to monitor animal health, including early disease detection, alongside reproduction issues such as heat identification, optimal insemination windows, calving notifications-on average 15 hours before the eventalongside abortion detection and fertility issues.

Rearing facilities should be set-up and maintained well to ensure calves stay healthy.

As calving approaches, farmers need to get their teams ready for what lies ahead in the coming months.

During the transition from dry to milking cows, it’s crucial to manage their health effectively to ensure their reproductive performance, production, and longevity aren’t compromised.

Planning to calve in the right conditions is essential for cow and calf health. Avoid calving in muddy conditions to decrease the risk of death and infections for both the cow and the calf.

Lifting production by 30,000 kgMS without increasing cow numbers has demanded extra feed and better genetics for Bay of Plenty dairy farmers, Nigel and Dianne Payne.