CalfCare roadshow to take place on Tulla farm

TULLA farmers will host a CalfCare roadshow next month.

Dairy farmers and dairy calf-to-beef farmers will be welcomed to the holding of Leona and Philip Hayes in Tulla (V95 W280) on Wednesday January 22nd for CalfCare ’25, the Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc DairyBeef 500 roadshow promoting calf health and the potential of beef production from the dairy herd.

Proceedings will commence at 11am on the farm. With the support of Volac Milk Replacer Ireland Ltd (Feed For Growth) along with the region’s co-ops and meat processors, CalfCare ’25 will champion best practice husbandry and management practices and how to deliver best calf performance.

Describing the busy month ahead as “an informative introduction to the farming year,”  Alan Dillon, DairyBeef 500’s programme co-ordinator, hopes that attending farmers “will use these events to refresh their calf rearing skillsets”.

According to Michelle McGrath, Assistant CellCheck Programme Manager, AHI “For many farmers, it may have been a while since they last cared for calves, so by attending these events, farmers can refresh their knowledge on the best practices for calf feeding, managing common health issues, and optimising calf growth. It also provides an opportunity for farmers to ask questions that are relevant to their own farms.

CalfCare ’25 will address a range of pressing issues which farmers face during a critical time of their working year, including understanding dairy and beef indices to produce quality calves, achieving optimal rumen development, discussing the best means of utilising pain relief during the calving season, and the prevention of pneumonia in calves.

Joe Patton, Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Department, said that the coming together of the DairyBeef 500 and AHI teams to deliver the CalfCare events emphasised the importance of the calf-rearing process to both farming systems. “It is essential that dairy farmers do all they can to produce calves that have enhanced profitability potential by suitably looking after them up to the point of transfer from the farm, thus ensuring the success of the dairy beef farmer’s operation,” he said. “Given the success of last January’s CalfCare events, which marked the first time that DairyBeef 500 and AHI had worked together like this, we are delighted to continue this relationship to highlight how both sectors, working together, complement each other.”

With both dairy and beef farmers hosting the forthcoming events, Natascha Meunier, AHI Beef HealthCheck Programme Manager, believes that CalfCare ’25 will highlight the common skills and knowledge required by both sets of farmers. “CalfCare ’25 is not only for dairy farmers; the management and health information is relevant to all calf rearers and we look forward welcoming all with a keen interest in gaining the best outcomes for their calves”.