Calf at foot dairy

RobAW

New Member
Location
North Wales
I really fancy giving this a go, looks like a nice way to farm.
Did some rough math. She sells the milk for £3/litre, say she gets 1000/litres a cow plus a nice calf could be £3800 a cow. That's more than a cow milking 10,000 litres at 30p/litre. Could only milk around 50 cows could be a nightmare with calves everywhere.
 

mixed farm

Member
If they're making a living off it more luck to them but surely having a 300kg calf hanging off them is less enjoyable to the cow than grazing in the fields on their own?
 

hatchy

Member
Wouldn't mind seeing a video of them trying to milk a first time heifer like that. Been milking best part of 30 years and I wouldn't put myself in harms way like that,no matter how 'friendly' they are made to look.
 
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Crofter64

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Quebec, Canada
I really fancy giving this a go, looks like a nice way to farm.
Did some rough math. She sells the milk for £3/litre, say she gets 1000/litres a cow plus a nice calf could be £3800 a cow. That's more than a cow milking 10,000 litres at 30p/litre. Could only milk around 50 cows could be a nightmare with calves everywhere.
http://www.nodpa.com/production_health_madre-method-08-18-14.shtml
This is an excellent article from an all grass dairy in New York State. I visited this farm on a tour last autumn and found it impressive. The madre method on Paul and Phyllis van Amburgh’s farm- It’s worth a read.
 
Interesting thoughts
I've thought about trying this in the future with half bred beef out of Holsteins maybe a sim out of a Holstein, milk it for the first three months or so until the calf can take the milk then turn them away for the summer together and a usual suckler set up. Just wondered how much milk you could potentially get in those first 3 months, especially on heifers if it's worth the time involved
 

haulmblower

Member
Location
Staffordshire
I'm sure what you say would work, but ...

If you look on their facebook page comments, people are buying from them rather than conventional dairy farms for ethical reasons.

You need pet Jersey cows and have to milk one at a time sometimes with an audience, adults and children watching.

Am I selling it so far?

It's my personal view now, I've no evidence to back this up just a feeling.

Being more of a townie than a farmer wearing my rose tinted glasses and pedalling hell for leather along memory lane to the little hamlet of Nostalgia! This is what I think.

To me this is a chance for farming to stand tall and answer its critics. Ethical, sustainable and regenerative all on one small farm, the opportunity to prove farmers care more for their stock than people give them credit for.

I genuinely believe if more of these farms existed the vegetarian argument would have less impact. However misinformed they may be the thought of 'snatching' the calf soon after birth is causing a lot to reject diary.
The same with beef large numbers of cattle in big sheds then hauled off to a killing plant waiting in line to die just to satisfy our meat eating diet kind of puts some folks off.

If however, they are told the truth and can see for themselves the calves have a natural life in a herd behaving as nature intended then the justification for our killing and eating it is more valid.
I'm not really happy with the last paragraph, it doesn't really convey what I'm trying to say.

Anyway I've said enough now, no doubt someone will be along to rip into what I've said but I stand by it. Perhaps I'm just too naive.

I wish you well if you decide to try this method and hope it works for you.
Hell fire if we were closer i would give you some free help to get started.
 
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Clay52

Member
Location
Outer Space
I'm sure what you say would work, but ...

If you look on their facebook page comments, people are buying from them rather than conventional dairy farms for ethical reasons.

You need pet Jersey cows and have to milk one at a time sometimes with an audience, adults and children watching.

Am I selling it so far?

It's my personal view now, I've no evidence to back this up just a feeling.

Being more of a townie than a farmer wearing my rose tinted glasses and pedalling hell for leather along memory lane to the little hamlet of Nostalgia! This is what I think.

To me this is a chance for farming to stand tall and answer its critics. Ethical, sustainable and regenerative all on one small farm, the opportunity to prove farmers care more for their stock than people give them credit for.

I genuinely believe if more of these farms existed the vegetarian argument would have less impact. However misinformed they may be the thought of 'snatching' the calf soon after birth is causing a lot to reject diary.
The same with beef large numbers of cattle in big sheds then hauled off to a killing plant waiting in line to die just to satisfy our meat eating diet kind of puts some folks off.

If however, they are told the truth and can see for themselves the calves have a natural life in a herd behaving as nature intended then the justification for our killing and eating it is more valid.
I'm not really happy with the last paragraph, it doesn't really convey what I'm trying to say.

Anyway I've said enough now, no doubt someone will be along to rip into what I've said but I stand by it. Perhaps I'm just too naive.

I wish you well if you decide to try this method and hope it works for you.
Hell fire if we were closer i would give you some free help to get started.
The vegan/vego crowd wouldn’t be statisfied.

The arguments they put forward against dairy are not the actual issue for them. It’s a means to an end. They want zero farming full stop. Fixing any “issues” they have won’t make a difference. They just will move on to the next claim. The end result being it’s not viable to farm animals anymore is their hope.
 

haulmblower

Member
Location
Staffordshire
The vegan/vego crowd wouldn’t be statisfied.

The arguments they put forward against dairy are not the actual issue for them. It’s a means to an end. They want zero farming full stop. Fixing any “issues” they have won’t make a difference. They just will move on to the next claim. The end result being it’s not viable to farm animals anymore is their hope.

I'll agree that is the agenda for the hard-core activists. But argue a lot are simply feeling guilty.
I think it would give this group the reason to continue eating meat and dairy.
 

beefandsleep

Member
Location
Staffordshire
In a more commercial environment the calves could be housed separately overnight and turned out to graze with the cows after morning milking. One way creep gates in the collecting yard, could work very well. It could be integrated quite easily into a robot milking system too.
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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