Impulses from the "Real North" network meeting Rind

The last network meeting of the Impulsbetriebe Rind (cattle impulse farms) took place at the end of November near the North Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein at two impulse farms. The focus of the meeting was on calf rearing, so the local proximity was used to visit a German specialist in calf rearing.

The group started their meeting at the Backensholz organic farm, enjoying coffee and cake in the farm's own restaurant. Farm manager Jasper Metzger-Petersen took the opportunity to present his farm and then gave the group a tour of the very diverse farm. They started with the inclusive, outdoor-oriented farm kindergarten, which has been in operation for six years. Although the extensive buildings of the farm's own dairy could only be viewed from the outside, they made it clear why the farm is able to supply such a wide range of award-winning raw milk cheeses. Together with herd manager MK Jones, who is responsible for the farm's approximately 500 dairy cows, the concept of herd management, the trials currently underway on the farm for extended lactation and the experiences gained from participating in the animal welfare model and demonstration projects were presented. The participants exchanged views on the pairing of the youngest calves and inspected the barn with the large group of calves. The farm manager's new ideas on waste recycling and automation were also discussed. The exchange continued intensively over dinner, with discussions also focusing on the challenge of dealing with male offspring and ideas for solutions.

The next morning, the group visited Holm & Laue, but first they had an in-depth discussion with H&L marketing manager Holger Kurz about the optimal care of calves in the first days of life. Among other things, they discussed how long the calf should stay with the cow, the importance of colostrum supply and the effects of pasteurising milk, for example. After lunch, the group moved on to the nearby Blauer Lieth farm. Marcus and Konstanze Rohwer presented their farm with 250 dairy cows, which received an award for animal health in the area of calf health in 2019. The difficulties involved in converting old buildings, especially for calf rearing, were discussed. During the farm tour, the group was also able to observe the farm's automated feeding system in operation. Konstanze Rohwer explained the concept of simple calf health monitoring with changing staff and feeding routines.  The calf barn, which was newly built in the spring and freshly occupied but not yet fully furnished, was the last stop on the farm tour, which also marked the end of the network meeting programme. Frozen through but satisfied with the good exchange, the group said goodbye, but not without already developing ideas for planning the next network meeting.

Authors: Gudrun Plesch & Rebecca Franz-Wippermann, FiBL Deutschland e.V.