Signpost: Navigating the spring challenges of calf sourcing, grazing, and fertiliser delays

Grassland management this spring has been disrupted by recent poor weather and grazing conditions.

Denis Hickey on his dairy beef farm just outside Midleton in Co Cork. Picture Chani Anderson

The last couple of weeks have been busy here on the farm, balancing calf arrivals, changeable weather conditions, fertiliser spreading and early-season grassland management.

A key focus has been calf sourcing, which has proven more challenging than usual this spring due to higher calf prices and availability. To date, I have purchased 35 calves from two local dairy farmers, made up of 16 bull and 19 heifer calves. The majority are Aberdeen Angus, with four Belgian Blues also included. In the next day or two, I have ten more calves to collect. All calves have settled in well and are currently being fed three litres of milk twice daily using blue teat feeders. With a larger number of animals now on the farm, a strong emphasis has been placed on calf health, with an intranasal vaccine administered a day or two after arrival as part of the farm’s overall health programme.