How do we wean calves from liquid milk or calf milk replacer (CMR)? For each and every calf weaning set up, there’s no doubt a broad range of different ways to wean calves - and no two systems will be the same!

In this our latest Rumen Room Podcast, we explore some of the different approaches to weaning dairy calves (heifer replacements and dairy beef) off milk or CMR. The sudden stopping of milk feeding isn’t an option – being way too stressful on the calf! What’re some ways to reduce the stress on the calf associated with the weaning from liquid feeds? There should be something for everyone in this, our latest podcast – enjoy!

All the hard work has been done, your four day old calves have grown well and it’s time to think about weaning the calves from milk or calf milk replacer (CMR). Our latest Rumen Room Podcast steps through the range of factors that collectively give us guidance to when a calf is ready to wean. There're many factors to think about, including the age and liveweight of the calf, daily liveweight gain, perhaps the wither height of the calf as well as rumen capacity and rumen function. Topped up of course by a healthy dose of your very own “gut feel” and intuition around if a calf is ready to wean or not. 

Keep an eye (ear?) out for part two of this weaning-themed calf podcast - this will follow shortly, focusing on the different approaches that we can take to the weaning process itself. 

With winter just around the corner for New Zealanders, our latest topic focuses on the effects of cold temperatures and frost on forage plants. We investigate how frosts damage our plants during the freeze-thaw cycles, “messing” with a plants wellbeing. Thankfully – and given time for plants to adjust to the cold - Mother Nature steps in and helps a plant develop some degree of resilience to cold and frosty weather.  Despite this, frosts can damage pasture plants, causing a drop / fall in pasture mass (kgDM/ha) through the winter - as well as reducing the nutritive value of pasture during long cold winter months.  Rug up warm and tune in for this, our latest podcast!!

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, tune in to some of our earlier winter-themed podcasts:

4. Checklist for success – wintering sheep and cattle on winter crops and pastures

35. Rumen bloat (“frost bloat”) in cattle that eat frozen winter pastures and forage crops

51. Wild winter weather. Cattle outside, how can we help – Part One

52. Wild winter weather – Part Two. Farm-level practical concepts

This is the second in a two part series all to do with Autumn Ill thrift in grazing ruminants. Part one (Episode 61) explored some of the nutritionally-based reasons that may contribute to animals appearing ‘ill thrifty’ when pasture quality shifts from standing, poor quality summer pasture to very high quality, lush autumn green feed.

The potential for animal-health related challenges to contribute to autumn ill thrift issues is covered in this, our latest episode. First up, the role for internal parasites to cause autumn ill thrift issues is briefly discussed (but acknowledging the excellent resources for managing internal parasites can be found here with NZs very own Wormwise programme here https://beeflambnz.com/wormwise ). Other topics tackled in this podcast include the role for ‘facial eczema’ (sporidesmin toxicity), endophyte alkaloids found in ryegrasses that contain standard (but not novel) endophytes, growth of Fusarium spp. on autumn pasture thatch, and trace mineral deficiencies. Last but not least, we cover the potential for sub-clinical effects of high levels of nitrate in autumn pastures (and crops) to reduce feed intake and therefore animal productivity. This nitrate topic builds on a previous discussion of nitrate toxicity covered in one of our earlier Rumen Room podcasts, Episode 5.

As always, animal health topics discussed in this podcast are of a general nature only, and information provided is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian and/or qualified nutritionist.

After a long, hot and often dry summer when pasture quality might be rather poor and in short demand, we’re always keen to see the onset of autumn rains. At last, we can expect improved amounts of pasture on hand and the silage wagon can be parked up for a while. Improved feed quality of autumn pasture is an added bonus, likely being much better than what stock have been grazing through the summer months. With the change of season from summer to autumn, pasture quality can shift dramatically from poor quality to very lush, leafy pasture. Why then, do sheep or cattle sometimes not do as well as they should, when they first meet this new, high quality autumn pasture? This is an issue often called (in a rather nondescript manner!) “Autumn Ill Thrift”. 

Keep an ear out for part two of this two part podcast (episode 62) where we’ll continue this discussion around autumn ill thrift, by covering some of the animal health issues that might contribute to animals doing poorly during autumn months.

Like anything in life, too much of a good thing can end badly. The same can be said for copper nutrition in ruminants. Required in just trace amounts, copper is needed by all ruminants - but too much copper places the wellbeing of ruminants at risk. Worst case, too much copper can prove fatal for our farm animals.

Part four in our four-part copper themed podcast covers off risk factors for copper toxicity. Just why some ruminant species can be at greater risk of copper toxicity than others is explored. Reasons why some breeds of sheep may accumulate very high levels of liver copper and therefore be at greater risk of copper toxicity is covered. Acute and chronic forms of copper toxicity are compared, and what clinical signs you might see in ruminant species are explained. 

**Note: The content within this episode is NOT intended to replace the nutritional advice specific to your animals as provided by your veterinarian or qualified ruminant nutritionist. If you suspect that your animals are showing signs of copper toxicity or may be at risk of copper toxicity, urgently contact your veterinarian **

What are some of the ways that we can test feed or other samples to assess the likelihood of copper deficiency in sheep, cattle or deer? Part three of this four-part copper themed miniseries moves the topic to defining the copper status of your farmed ruminants. The strengths and weaknesses of different testing methods for copper status are discussed. If a copper deficiency is very likely / has been defined, this episode covers different ways to provide additional copper to your ruminants. **Note: The content within this episode is NOT intended to replace the nutritional advice specific to your animals - as provided by your veterinarian or qualified ruminant nutritionist**

Dairy, sheep, beef, or deer farming? There’s something for everyone in our latest “bite sized” copper-themed miniseries podcast. Building on the introduction to copper nutrition in Episode 57, this podcast explores signs that ruminants might (or might not) show when copper deficient. Often we don’t see obvious signs of copper deficiency - this is called a “sub-clinical” deficiency. Which means animals simply don’t grow or perform well but don't show any classic signs of copper deficiency.  A "clinical" copper deficiency simply means that we see obvious signs in animals that are suggestive of a low copper status.

Our latest podcast covers clinical signs that can be linked with copper deficiency. Covering all ruminant species, we explore a a range of clinical signs of copper deficiency. Topics discussed include a possible role for copper deficiency in shoulder fractures in young dairy heifers, scouring in young cattle, swayback in sheep and deer, and the classic changes in coat colour when black cattle become severely copper deficient.

Read the side of any bag of trace mineral additives or feed products, and there’s good chance copper will be listed as one of the ingredients. Just what is copper and why should we be interested? Our latest copper-themed miniseries offers in a “bite-sized” manner four short and snappy podcasts all to do with copper.  Why do ruminants (sometimes, but not always) need copper?  What “jobs” does copper do throughout the body? How do deficiencies of copper come about on farm? Sheep and cattle – do we need to think about copper in different ways for each of our farm species? We hope you enjoy the first of our four part copper miniseries. Subscribe so you don't miss the remaining episodes in this four-part miniseries. 

This latest “bite sized” short podcast takes a look at summer crop establishment in New Zealand, including a detailed look at the tiny (unwanted) herbivores that eat forage crops. Charlotte Westwood chats with PGG Wrightson Seeds agronomy guru Greg Zeuren to hear about the successful establishment of spring planted summer forage crops in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand.

In a down to earth, practical manner, Greg scene sets around deciding between direct drill or cultivation as approaches to crop establishment, discusses spray out and the importance of rolling crop areas post-planting, before moving on to managing risk of slug and insect pest pressure in newly established chicory, brassica, lucerne and other “small seed” forage crops.

Throughout the podcast, you’ll learn handy tips and tricks to help grow forage crops as a summer feed for our ruminants. Slugs enjoy Weetbix, really Greg?? Absolutely!

Finally, we’ll learn that if we’re not proactively monitoring our crops, there won’t be any forage crop left for our ruminants to eat this summer.

We hope that you enjoy our latest podcast.