A dairyman who profitably raises more calves than he needs as replacements for his grade milking herd is SJ Campher of Harrismith. He will have about 44 cows calving in March-April and of the calves he’ll keep 26 after selecting, selling the rest.
“I prefer a constant number and have facilities for them. This also helps my planning and I can work out how much fodder must be produced,” Campher said. He will then rear the 26, using the females as replacements himself or selling them to other milk producers, and sending the males to market at about 14 months (he has received as much as R82 for an animal). Very little feed is bought – almost all fodder is produced on the farm.
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