New tool shows the price of higher calf welfare

"Yes, yes, that sounds very good – but what does it cost?" That is perhaps the first question asked when farmers need to make choices about alternative approaches, and that question has been quite difficult to answer when it comes to keeping cows and calves together. Until now, at least. Organic Advisory Denmark, the Innovation Center for Organic Farming, and Sagro have developed a support tool for one of the major decisions in dairy production: what is the cost of keeping the calf tied to an adult cow for a longer period? "This is a good tool for discussing options with the farmer. They might see that the calves are really happy in these systems – but it can be very difficult to grasp the economic consequences of it," says Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer from Organic Advisory Denmark. She is a cattle advisor and expert in calves, and she is a co-developer of the tool. "There are many opportunities to gain the benefits of keeping the animals together, and with our tool, you can look at the economics of the four most common approaches to cow and calf together," she adds. Maja Bertelsen from the innovation center holds a Ph.D. in cow-calf relations and is the project coordinator, while Christian Jacobsen from Economics & Strategy at Sagro provided the economic data. A Difficult Calculation In the world of agriculture's complex calculations, the cow and calf accounting is at the top, because there are extremely many factors involved. Visible and invisible. Milk prices, bedding, labor costs are among the more visible factors, while calf health and growth – and thus a faster path to self-producing milk – can be harder to quantify. Animal welfare is also rewarded at some dairies – but not at others. "There is the most money in sending the milk directly to the dairy and raising the calf yourself, but there are many other considerations that make the calculation more complicated. The cow is the best at caring for calves, and if you succeed with that, you get strong, healthy animals that provide many positive effects," explains Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer. The tool has built-in formulas that can specify expenses and benefits within the system based on your data, so you can make informed decisions. "In the spreadsheet, we have worked with the idea that you don't need to build new. That you can place animals in an existing building. Personally, I also think you should try the system – or several – before investing. Because the requirements for layout vary depending on the approach – and maybe you won't succeed with it," she adds. Success Requires Skill Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer has extensive experience advising on cow and calf management, suckling systems, and various hybrids, and she says that results vary greatly. Some experience a significant reduction in calf mortality, while others see the opposite effect. It all depends on the approach to the calves, she explains. "To succeed with this, you must prioritize the calves. When they are with an adult cow, they are exposed to a greater infection pressure, all else being equal. Therefore, it requires respect for the professionalism in calf care, and that the time you save by mixing milk and washing bowls is spent observing the calf. Being able to interpret the wrinkles around the eyes and the placement of the ears," she says. The tool is for all dairy producers curious about what it would cost to allow cows and calves to have more contact. Both organic and conventional. "In fact, it's easier to implement this in conventional systems where the animals don't need to go to pasture," she concludes.