Club’s M bovis workaround
When Mycoplasma bovis threatens to destroy a cherished rural tradition, you find a way around it.
A small rural Waikato school is doing that with parents at Whitikahu School, near Hamilton, creating an on-farm calf club. It comes after the Ministry for Primary Industries recommended rural schools cancel calf clubs because of concerns the animals could catch or spread Mycoplasma bovis.
The on-farm calf club means that instead of bringing their pet calves to school for judging, a judge will travel to each individual farm. The school will then hold a prize-giving where photos of each placegetter and their calves are shown.
Gordonton dairy farmers Annabelle and Steven Scherer are two of the parents behind the concept.
‘‘This is an opportunity for kids to still rear their calves and still do everything they would for calf club,’’ Annabelle Scherer said.
She appreciates why MPI recommended calf club days be cancelled with M bovis a huge concern.
The Scherers have four children – Charlie, 11; Gabrielle, 9; Henry, 5; and Archer, 2. It is Henry’s first chance to rear a calf while Charlie and Gabrielle are old hands.
‘‘They are really into it,’’ Scherer said. ‘‘We’re really hoping it’s going to work.’’
Scherer approached potential judges, who said they were happy to do it. The group plans to outline the concept in a newsletter to all parents at the school with calving under way on dairy farms and hopes to get at least 20-30 calves entered for the October event. Scherer says the plan has the full backing of the school.