Running over four consecutive nights from Monday, June 23 to Thursday, June 26, farms in Donegal, Tipperary, Carlow and Westmeath will showcase:
- How to maintain recommended average daily gain to achieve optimal performance.
- Mid-season grass management and achieving good silage quality.
- What farmers need to know about parasite control at grass and in advance of housing.
- The key health tasks to avoid a growth check in your cattle.
With the support of Volac Milk Replacers Ireland Ltd’s ‘Feed For Growth’ initiative, the summer series will provide farmers with expert knowledge on calf rearing and the maintenance of mid-season animal health. These events, all scheduled to commence at 7pm followed by refreshments on the night, will be held at the following farms:
- Monday, June 23: Gareth Peoples (Tullyannon, Carrigans, Co. Donegal, F93 HK20).
- Tuesday, June 24: Tipperary Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm (Fethard, Co. Tipperary, E91 E0X3).
- Wednesday, June 25: ABP Demo Farm (Clonegal, Co. Carlow, Y21 R884).
- Thursday, June 26: Irvine Allen (Williamstown, Co. Westmeath, N37 T327).
Animal Health Ireland CalfCare programme manager, Michelle McGrath, explained why these additional events are taking place. “They represent a natural addition to the highly successful January events we’ve been holding.
“This addition to our CalfCare series will deliver the latest information and advice on boosting animal performance, discuss the significance of quality silage, up-to-date health checks on your herd and what farmers need to prioritise across the board. The longer evenings also lend themselves to hosting events such as these so we hope the scheduling will also prove popular with farm families, to continue our efforts to promote calf health and helping farmers achieve optimal performance.”
Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 programme coordinator, Alan Dillon, said: “These events will be a new venture for AHI and Teagasc in highlighting the importance of mid-season management for calves. The first 12 months of life is where ground is lost in calf to beef systems and these events will help address some of the issues facing farmers.”
Teagasc dairy specialist, Stuart Childs, noted: “The milk feeding phase of calf rearing is only setting the foundations for future growth and while extremely important, the subsequent management of stock is vital to achieving appropriate levels of daily gain required to achieve the weight targets for the different systems. These events seek to promote best practice in animal management and to achieve the desired performance required for success.” The CalfCare events are being run with the help and support of the co-ops and meat processors in each region.