A new national survey is gathering farmers’ real-world experience to build a clearer picture of calf rearing practices across New Zealand and help strengthen the future of dairy beef. Farmers who rear calves are encouraged to share their knowledge.
Calf rearing is a job many farmers take seriously, but as an industry it remains one of the least understood parts of the sector. There’s no levy, no representative body, and very little national data. That’s why Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), DairyNZ and Massey University, has launched a new survey to understand how calves are being reared across the country.
B+LNZ’s Senior Strategic Advisor for Farm Systems Jim Inglis, says farmer input is vital if the industry wants to move forward. “Calf rearing is full of challenge and opportunity, but we simply don’t have the information we need to support farmers well,” he says. “We hear a lot of individual stories, but we’ve never had a nationwide picture. This survey is our chance to change that.”
The results will help identify what’s working, where the challenges are, and where research and support could make the biggest difference. This includes improving calf performance, reducing costs, and lifting profitability for dairy beef enterprises. Inglis says farmers’ practical knowledge is the key. “Your experience matters,” he says. Every farmer who rears calves has something valuable to add.”
The survey is open to all calf rearers — sheep, beef, mixed systems, specialist rearers, and dairy farmers who rear calves for beef. It takes around 15 minutes to complete, and every entry goes into the draw to win $2,000 worth of NZAgBiz calf rearing products.
Inglis says the work will also help guide future investment and planning in the dairy beef space. “This is about building a stronger future for dairy beef, and that starts with understanding what’s happening on the ground,” he says. “Good decisions rely on good information, and that information has to come from farmers.”
Farmers who rear calves know the risks, the rewards, and the realities better than anyone. By sharing that knowledge, they can help shape future tools, research, and support for the whole sector.
The survey will open soon, keep an eye out on E-diaries for the link.