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Careful management of suckler cows at this time of year can pay dividends for the future. Veterinary surgeon, Joe Henry, of Black Sheep Farm Health, Rothbury, offers some advice.

Nearly all farmers taking part in a recent calf survey recognised the link between well reared heifers and future performance, yet data suggests there is huge scope for producers to drive efficiencies further.

Two key strains of Mannheimia haemolytica bacteria are likely to be responsible for pneumonia in calves, with a third of unknown pathogenic status.

The potential to drive genetic gain, make more informed breeding decisions and improve efficiencies begs the question as to why you would not genomically test heifers.

Feeding the right amount of a quality milk replacer so that heifer calves hit growth rate targets will positively impact on their performance once they enter the herd.

Choosing a specially formulated calf milk replacer alongside top-notch management has helped one Dorset family to address issues with calf scours.

Using sexed female and sexed male semen is helping one farmer optimise the value of every calf.

Using ultrasound on calves’ lungs has helped one Powys calf rearer to pick up signs of respiratory disease earlier, target antibiotic use and reduce mortality.

Segmenting the herd and targeting sexed female and male semen towards appropriate animals will help optimise any sexed and beef strategy.

Genomic testing, together with targeted use of sexed semen on cows and heifers is part of a strategy to maximise the output from every cow space at Slough Court, Somerset.