Welsh Youngstock Project

Descriptions

Coleg Sir Gâr has secured European Funding through the Rural Development Plan in Wales via the ‘Improving the Welsh Dairy Supply Chain’ project to run a Dairy Health Events module, and under a variation of this project will now be running this dedicated youngstock project.With a continued focus for dairy farms to look at the efficiency of their units it has become apparent that there is a large variation between the ability of different farms to rear their youngstock. Therefore the aim of this project is to discover what the key factors are for successful calf rearing on Welsh dairy farms. This is to be achieved by analysing data from a detailed survey completed by a minimum of 50 (up to a maximum of 100) dairy farms throughout Wales (in conjunction with their vets).Following analysis of the results, a comprehensive report will be published and then launched at the Royal Welsh show. During the project, two open days will be held; one in North Wales on the 15th of April, and another in South Wales in June.In order to fully understand the key factors that influence successful calf rearing, we require an industry expert to devise an in-depth survey to collate a range of different data on the way each farm rears its calves. The type of data required should be as follows; (this is for guidance only – not an exhaustive list)Protocols used (if any)Colostrum managementNutrition (what is fed and how much)Are growth rates measured? What are the growth rates? Are growth rates better on farms that measure/weigh?Labour units allocated to calf rearingWeaning age / weight / sizeService / Calving ageDisease status and/or vaccination programmesHousingIn addition, we require an analyst to interpret the gathered data, and possibly identify the common factors which contribute to successful calf rearing. The results should then be compiled into a thorough report. It is anticipated that the results of the analysis will be used by farming businesses and vets to help improve standards of calf husbandry.