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Know How / Calving

Advice on dairy and beef calving including calving intervals and deciding the best system for your farm – block calving versus all year calving. See how to avoid calf losses and deal with issues such as prolapse and milk fever and get tips to optimise your calving set up and pens to minimise risks to people and animal.

Advice and tips

DAIRY

Advice for managing a split-block calving herd

Historically, savings made from efficient block-calving outweighed seasonality penalties. Yet many contracts have tempted farms into going split block.  Herds that move to split-block calving to satisfy milk buyer requirements…

CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

5 ways to ensure a safe and successful beef calving

Understanding basic principles of animal behaviour and physiology can help farmers develop a functional and safe calving system. Rarely a year goes by without Health and Safety Executive records showing…

DAIRY

Advice on getting extra help for autumn block-calving

An intense workload at calving, combined with a winter routine, often creates a temporary labour gap in an autumn block-calving herd. One extra person – sometimes only a half –…

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Case studies

CALVING

Video: How 2024 autumn block-calving is getting on

This is autumn-calver Ben Wade’s sixth season on his arable conversion in Leicestershire. Having sold 50 cows at the end of the block he should finish calving in seven weeks.…

DAIRY

How an Irish farmer keeps his spring-calving system on track

An Irish Olympic race walker has used sports psychology to help him expand a simple spring-block system and keep it running profitably. We finds out more about spring block-calver Jamie…

CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

CALVING

How two herds have reduced incidence of stillbirth

Selective breeding, addressing mineral status and transition management are just some of the ways beef and dairy farmers can minimise costly stillbirths. Perinatal mortality (stillbirth) is defined as the death…

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Insights

LIVESTOCK

Why a congenital defect could cause calf losses

Ask a dairy or beef farmer if they have ever had a calf born with atresia, a condition commonly known as “waterbelly”, and the chances are they will say no.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How a ‘big squeeze’ could help dummy calves to suck

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in calves – also known as “dummy calf” syndrome – can be a challenge for dairy farmers to manage, often requiring extra labour to tube-feed youngstock. Typically,…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Study shows how calcium can affect dry cow fertility

Increasing calcium in pre-calving diets can improve postpartum uterine health and fertility, a recent study has revealed. The study, which took place at the University of Illinois, examined feeding dry…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Trial shows high iodine cow diet can hinder colostrum uptake

A survey of iodine supplementation in beef herds has revealed that over supplementation pre-calving can negatively affect calves’ ability to absorb colostrum. A collaborative research project between Moredun Research Institute,…

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News

DAIRY

Artificial intelligence calving monitor debuts at Dairy Day

An artificial intelligence-powered calving monitoring system, claimed to be a world first, has been revealed at this year’s Dairy Day. While calving sensors and cameras are not a new concept,…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Farm fatalities prompt warning over cattle on footpaths

Farmers turning out cattle this spring are being warned to think twice before putting cows and calves in fields with public footpaths. It follows a spate of incidents involving walkers…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Autumn calvers warned of coccidiosis risk to youngstock

Autumn calvers are being reminded about the risk of coccidiosis in young calves and encouraged to take steps to reduce risk of infection and detect the disease early. Identifying the…

CALVING

Sharp rise in calving difficulties prompts warning

Beef and dairy farmers have reported a sharp rise in calving difficulties, sparking warnings for both autumn and spring-calving herds. The increase has been blamed on ideal summer growing conditions…

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Test and reviews

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Buyer's guide to ketone testers for dairy farmers

Simple and quick tests that measure ketone levels in dairy cows are allowing farmers to act promptly with interventions to protect milk yields and herd performance. Subclinical ketosis can’t be…

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Video

CALVING

Video: How 2024 autumn block-calving is getting on

This is autumn-calver Ben Wade’s sixth season on his arable conversion in Leicestershire. Having sold 50 cows at the end of the block he should finish calving in seven weeks.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Video: How a large dairy is keeping youngstock mortality low

A large US dairy is achieving exceptionally low mortality rates of 1% in its pre-weaned calves, and hitting daily growth rates of 800g up to weaning. About 1,800 calves will…

LIVESTOCK

Rethinking cattle performance: Improving dairy beef management

Farmers heard how important milk management, health and housing strategies are to maximising calf performance at Farmers Weekly’s first Rethinking Cattle Performance workshop. The first Rethinking Cattle Performance workshops, in…

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