Using beef genetics can create more options for calves not needed as dairy replacements. Successful beef-on-dairy systems balance calving ease, beef performance and farm goals.

Providing the right amount of high-quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth, is the best thing you can do for your calves. High quality colostrum provides energy and important maternal antibodies that help newborn fight disease.

This Talking Dairy episode covers the new Dairy Beef Opportunities programme, a cross-sector initiative boosting dairy-beef value, improving outcomes for non‑replacement calves, and strengthening dairy-beef integration.

New Zealand’s dairy and beef industries are coming together to work more closely through the Dairy Beef Opportunities programme to address a key area — the management of non-replacement calves that are not required to replenish the dairy herd.

Wearable technologies (such as cow collars) are becoming a popular tool for assisting with reproductive management. In 2025, around 1 in 5 dairy farms are using wearables , mostly to help with heat detection, a factor in getting cows in calf.

In this episode of Talking Dairy, we tackle the challenge of managing mastitis. Experts Mike Shallcrass and Jane Lacy-Hulbert offer practical tips on detecting and handling high SCC cows and strategies to prevent mastitis and improve milk quality.

Read how, Ben and Allie King revisit their mating programmes and farm setup to look at how they can improve calf-rearing practices.

Read how, Pāmu revisits their mating programmes to look at how they can improve calf-rearing practices.

Read how, Owl Farm revisits their mating programmes and farm setup to look at how they can improve calf-rearing practices.

Read how, each year the New Zealand Super Fund (NZSF) Rural Land portfolio, managed by FarmRight revisits their mating programmes and farm setup to look at how they can improve calf-rearing practices.

What’s the best way to manage internal parasites in young dairy stock? Find out how worms limit production in calves, when to start drenching, how to choose the right drench, and why we need to focus on management factors other than drench.

Disbudding is the process of removing a calf's horns between one to six weeks old. This prevents injuries to both the farm team and other animals.

Successful weaning in calves relies on proper nutrition, adequate weight, and gradual transitions. It's important to ensure calves are consuming the right amount of feed and meeting their weight-for-age targets.