Wednesday, 12 October 2016 12:05

Pesky beef calves

Written by 

It seems Fonterra has been caught flat-footed over the supply of milk powder for calves.

Calf rearers are reporting a shortage of the co-op’s Ancalf powder; the co-op is reporting unusually high calf numbers this season -- nearly double those of last year. The problem, it seems, is higher numbers of beef calves being reared -- better than milking calves because of the lower milk payout. The shortage is expected to persist for a few weeks, prompting suggested alternatives such as Brown Bag product, early weaning and shifting calves onto meal.

More like this

Fonterra R&D: Innovation needs more than just PhDs

Common sense and good human judgement are still a key requirement for the super highly qualified staff working at one of New Zealand's largest and most important research facilities - Fonterra's R&D Centre at Palmerston North.

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter