Dairy expansion is posing extra calving challenges

Specialist management techniques can help lighten the workload involved in calf health programmes,writes Martin Ryan

MORE THAN 2,000 farmers will have attended the Teagasc/ Animal Health Ireland Calf Care events when the current programme at 10 locations concludes on Thursday.

The advice days being run in conjunction with the major dairy processors and supported by Volac has experienced consistent growth in popularity since it was introduced.

Speaking at the event on the farm of Noreen and Padraig Calanan, Ballyroan, Co Laois, Teagasc advisor Fintan Monahan said that the dairy herd has increased by 300,000 cows presenting new challenges for farmers at calving time.

“We have seen a big increase in dairy cows in this area. The dairy herd has increased by 46pc in Co Laois in the last few years.

“It is one of the biggest increases in the country,” he said, stressing the challenges being posed for farmers on herd management.

He said that dairy farmers are experiencing a lot of extra work at calving time and the event focused on how farmers could handle the challenges to improve fertility rates, plan for compact calving, and make provision for labour saving techniques to ease the work load.

Management techniques

Noreen and Padraig Calanan were milking 90 cows and planned to increase to 110 cows for 2018 on a total farm size of 57ha with 37ha as the milking platform.

Grainne O’Dwyer from Animal Health Ireland described the interest which the events have created among dairy farmers as “huge.” “It is the sixth year and it has continued to grow, because farmers see the need to gain more knowledge on techniques for management of the herd and healthy calf rearing,” she said.

The event takes place today on the farm of Aidan and Kathleen Treacy, Lisnacody, Eyrecourt, Ballinasloe, Co Galway from 11am to 1pm. The programme concludes on Thursday at David Henry’s farm in Ballymote, Co Sligo.