"We are discussing successful calf rearing, not just to 100kg but on to the cows coming into milk in the herd," Morgan said. "We will also be looking at best-practice advice and then discussing how to adapt that to meet their needs and present set up."
The workshops will also look at feed, how to compare feeds and the amount a calf needs.
And there will be segments on planning and deciding on your "how-tos" on farm, cost and margins and why it is important to have weight targets and meet these for animals in the post 100kg period.
"The day is aimed at all farmers, particularly beginners and intermediate. In the past, we have had great interaction from all levels of experience, helping increase the knowledge gleaned from more than just the presentation.
"It's always good to have a refresher and to start thinking about planning and preparation before the season is upon us.
"It is even more important for us to engage with farmers in a low payout year. Every cost needs to be scrutinised. However, it is also imperative to be aware of the knock-on effect of removing a cost - will it be more expensive in the long run?
"If you are saving a few dollars but the knock-on effect is a cost increase down the line, this is not the thing to cut out of the system. With calf rearing, you are looking at the future of your herd for a number of years. When the payout increases, we want to have well-grown, high-producing animals to make more of that valuable milk."
MSD Animal Health marketing manager Sam Higgins said the Upper Hutt-based company will run the workshops around the learnings from Australian vet and calf health researcher Gemma Chuck. MSD is hosting Gemma for the Dairy Women's Network annual conference in May.
Gemma runs a very successful Calfwise: Right from the Start field programme for Australian farmers and while in NZ she will be training MSD Animal Health's vets on this programme and how best to share the key learnings locally through these workshops.
"An important part to a good, healthy start in a calf's life is the management and feeding of good quality colostrum," Higgins said. "There are the 3 Qs of Colostrum concepts: Quickly, Quality, Quantity. These key 3 Qs form the structure of the Colostrum is Gold workshop. Colostrum is gold and there's a very limited time that we can get a high level of colostrum into the calves' blood stream."
Colostrum is the early secretion from the cows' mammary glands after giving birth and is rich in antibodies for the calf. Calves are born with no antibodies, so transferring this colostrum into the calf early is vital.
MSD Animal Health vets will discuss how to make the most of colostrum from storage through to feeding, how to minimise disease risk through housing, identifying calf signals and how to maximise the benefits of Rotavec Corona vaccination, which boosts antibodies at the crucial time when colostrum is forming to make calves more resilient against disease.
The vaccine is a registered veterinary product, so must be prescribed by a vet. But Higgins notes that the success of any vaccination programme comes back to the farmer and good on-farm practices and hence MSDs ongoing support of these important DWN initiatives.
Each workshop starts at 9.30am and finishes at 2.30pm. Male farm workers and calf rearers are welcome to join the women and lunch is provided.
- For more information, contact Zelda.devilliers@dwn.org.nz
