Optimal Labour Resources for Sustainability (195 cows avg. survey).

Cows   Spring (Feb-Apr)
< 150   10.9 hrs/day
150-250  16.6
> 250   24

Per Year Labour on a block calved herd can be broken down into the following areas – 33% of time milking, 29% cow care (feeding etc.), 11% grassland management, 10% farm management, 27% other.  In an on farm survey the top 25% most efficient labour users spent 5 hours/cow/year less than average on cow care and 5 hours/cow per year less on milking time.

23 hours per cow, per year was spent on average with 6 hours/cow per year being taken up with machinery hours leaving 17 hours/cow per year on non-machinery time.  How does your farm compare?

We continually hear of and experience the shortage of labour in our industry but are we doing enough to make more efficient use of a scarce resource.  It doesn’t mean paying less but working smarter and making the job more attractive to potential employees.  Here are a few practical pointers

Calving/Calf Rearing – can be very labour intensive, but the most important thing is having healthy calves means lower labour input.  It doesn’t have to be a new shed.  It could be about getting the basics right.

Night Feeding Dry Cows 18.00-9.00 – I have a number of farmers who practice this successfully and save lots of time.  It takes 10 days to establish routine.  Dry cows need enough feed space.  They shouldn’t be fed during the day.  As a result, 90% of cows calve early morning or in daylight hours.  This gives more time to get colostrum management of the newborn calf right.  We know if we get this right, calf rearing becomes much easier.

Colostrum Management – Store only the best quality by testing all Antibody (AB) quality with Brix Refractometer > 22% @ (50mg/L).  Store in a fridge for 48 hours/12 months freezer.  Use freezer bags as quicker to defrost.  Heat to body temperature (no boiling water) to get maximum AB absorption.

REMEMBER 1st milking, within 2 hours of calving, 3 Litres minimum = 123 Colostrum Management – Using a stomach tube speeds up the process and ensures the calf has had the required amount of colostrum.

Milk Feeding – You should have a mechanical way of transporting or pumping milk from the dairy to the feeding area.  Once a day feeding can start within 4 weeks of birth but calves still need to be checked twice daily, have adequate fresh clean water, concentrates and hay/straw.  There is no difference in growth rates between OAD/TAD feeding.

Outdoor Rearing – This can be practiced in the spring to autumn period for eight months of the year from 4-5 weeks of age.  There is less bedding and cleaning time involved.  Check the weather the week prior to turning calves out.  Shelter is required. Don’t use straw bales as this can result in a build-up of disease and land can get muddy quickly in a wet period.

Semi-permanent shelters, which take calves off the ground and can be moved about with a loader tractor are the best solution.  Growth rates are comparable between outdoors and indoors and there is no check in calf performance as diet and environment don’t change compared to housed calves being turned out to grass.

All the above pointers will result in a healthier calf with less labour required to manage.  How is your calf rearing system?  Could it do a review of basic management and labour practices?

For further information, please contact Gerard at gerardfinnan@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office.