P10: Sustainable Pathways for Surplus Calves*
Led by Dairy Australia, this Dairy UP project aims to develop sustainable options for managing surplus calves born on dairy farms such as male (bobby) calves or females that are not destined to enter the milking herd.
*This project is now complete
The project involves working with stakeholders along the entire supply chain to develop pathways for surplus calves that are both socially and economically viable. The use of beef crossbreeding over some of the cows in the herd is one of the options.
The project operates at a regional level in NSW, to ensure ideas are relevant and applicable to local communities. The approach is based on developing an understanding of community and consumer attitudes as well as the needs of farmers and stakeholders along the supply chain.
Dairy UP’s P10 pilot is being undertaken in the Nowra region, involving two phases:
- Phase 1: Consultation and collaborative design of alternative management pathways
- Phase 2: An analysis of economics and risks of raising non-replacement calves in a dairy business.
Further Reading:
Progress (November 2023):
The Growing Beef from Dairy project is a follow-on project from Dairy UP’s P10 Sustainable Pathways for Non-replacement calves. The project is developing an extension and adoption package to help farmers make better decisions for breeding, feeding, managing and meeting market requirements for surplus calves. It includes producer demonstration sites at Shady Creek (Jerseys), Woodleigh (Wagyu cross) and Mirboo North (different breeds).
Progress (August 2023):
Phase two is complete. Market fluctuations during the study period highlighted the risks associated with variations in demand and price for dairy beef. Beef market prices were the biggest contributor to variation in net return per head. The feedlot market (and beef market in general) is highly volatile and this has an impact on the prices paid for dairy beef calves.
The decision to rear non-replacement calves involves significant non-financial considerations.
Progress (May 2023):
Phase one is complete and a follow-on project is now underway. Growing Beef from Dairy is a joint extension project between Dairy Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia.
A variety of consultation activities have been undertaken with the Nowra community, consumers, farmers, milk and meat processors, feedlots, genetics companies and other industry organisations. A key finding from the consultation is that all stakeholders along the supply chain recognise that sustainable management pathways for surplus calves need to be in place as soon as possible to address growing community/consumer expectations regarding animal welfare and social licence.
While all stakeholders appreciate the complexity of the challenge, there is widespread recognition of the need to listen to and align with evolving community values alongside strong collaboration along the supply chain. The key challenge for industry is achieving management options that are economically viable in the face of volatile seasonal and commodity prices and that can be integrated with their farming systems.
P10 Lead/co-ordinator:
John Penry
Principal Scientist | Dairy Australia
Project Team:
- Dan Armstrong (RM Consulting Group)
- Keran Gandhi (Dairy Australia Project Manager)
- Pip Band (Consultant)