The last week of July has been interesting for us, on the Wednesday evening we received 10 minutes of really strong winds which saw Daniel and I shifting fifty 2 year old bulls out of a tree paddock right on dusk and naturally they behaved just like 2 year olds, then we had to go remove three trees that had fallen cross the road. Thursday morning saw the power go on and off numerous times as the winds caused more problems in other parts of the district. On a more positive note on Wednesday the engineer finished the off season alterations and maintenance. We have made changes in the feed mill that will now give us two bagging lines for calf meal instead of the previous one, enabling us to yet again lift our production capacity.

This month we are also trialling Canola Oil as replacement for Soya Oil, it does present some small savings and the processors claim that because it's a fresh product, made in Canterbury compared to Soya Oil that is imported and the way it is processed it offers extra health benefits for the calf. I am not sure if you will notice any difference, however it's nice to support a local product that is potentially better as well as cheaper.

For those of you who have tried talking to me on the cell phone (either 0800 or 027) you will be aware cell phone reception at the feed mill is very patchy causing frustration. Last season we had a cell phone signal booster installed which certainly helped however it turned out to be illegal and I subsequently got fined $1280. So back to patchy reception, sometimes I will take a while to answer the cell phone as I will move to an area of better reception before answering. Another change for this season is that I've removed the fax machine. When I receive orders via text or email, even with patchy reception they still come directly to me. Where as faxes can go unnoticed in the feedmill office for a period of time, especially in the off season. It also makes it easier for me to recheck any orders or order numbers when I'm doing the accounts in the home office. Please note when texting use the 027 299 3484 number as the 0800 doesn't receive texts.

Prices remain the same this month

High Octane Aoraki Calf Meal 40 x 25kg - $750 + GST and Delivery
Low Protein Aoraki Calf Meal 40 x 25kg - $710 + GST and Delivery

During the last month we increased some of our protein contracts and while I won't rule out a price rise later in the season it's only likely to happen if we need to go to the free market for more grain.

Getting calves started on meal

Every season we get feedback on how well the calves have started eating the meal from a number of customers, especially new customers. And also every season we get a smaller number of farmers who want to know why this year their calves won't touch it even though everything is supposedly the same as the previous year. So here are some tips that I found worked for us when we reared calves and also tips from other calf rearers.

1. Keeping the meal fresh.
The meal is a grain based product and while it has shelf life of 6+ months we have found that for the first 3 weeks of the calf's life the fresher the meal is the faster they will start. So where practical buy small amounts and often at the start of the season and make sure you only have enough in the trough for one day at a time and ensure the trough is clean before you add more (any old meal can either be fed to older calves or crook cows). We used to milk feed once a day and do the meal twice, remember a calf has 25,000 taste buds compared to our 9,000.

2. The amount of milk you feed.
Most farmers are now feeding a maximum of 4-5 litres per day and most farmers are once a day after 7-10 days of age (some farmers are once a day from day 1 and others still twice a day until weaning). Most farmers do not increase the amount of milk as the calf gets older. Naturally the more milk you feed the less inclined the calf will be to eat meal. Likewise with the frequency of feeding.

3. Keeping the calves inside for 4-6 weeks.
This isn't possible on all farms however the farmers that are able to do this extoll the benefits. Not only for getting the calves to eat the meal and therefore develop the rumen quicker but also health wise as generally these farms are not reusing the same pens multiple times in the same season. Day by day as an animal gets older it sheds more bugs so when you reintroduce a new born calf to a previously used pen it faces a higher disease challenge.

4. Restrict grass until rumen is developed. If you are putting the calf outside at an early age try and use a small paddock that has no grass. As until the rumen is functioning they can't digest grass and while they certainly will eat it you don't want a baby animal filling up on a product it can't digest.

5. Provide straw not baleage.
Research shows benefits in providing straw for calves however the problem with baleage is that it's only 35-40% DM as compared to calf meal 85-90% DM. Bulky fibres are good for stretching the rumen however grain produces butyrate and propionate which once fermented promotes the growth of long healthy rumen papillae that provide the large surface required for nutrient absorption.

6. Positioning of the trough and trough space.
For inside the shed positioning the trough near the area where you feed the milk often works best. One farmer told me how he removes the milk feeder and places the meal feeder back in the same place with fresh meal. In the paddock if you are still feeding milk try and feed the milk in a similar place each day and position the meal trough close to this area, also being near the water trough works well.

In our pens we used 20 litre containers with sides cut out for meal troughs, though some farmers say the troughs are best at knee height. In the paddock we used 240 litre plastic drums cut into thirds likewise with PVC pipe and the tractor tyre in half works really well but can be difficult to make.

I am sure there are lots of other successful calf rearing tips amongst you all and if you are willing to share yours then please forward it to me.

Cheers

Ken Buckingham