Getting
Down and
Dirty on
the dairy
farm with
Emma
& Jet
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW

Emma and Jet
• My name is Emma I am 16. As part
of my HSC I am doing a dairy
traineeship at Clover Hill Dairies
• My name is Jet. I am also doing a
dairy traineeship with Alan and
Leesa Swan at Hillview Dairy

Hi
I‟m Jet
Hi
I‟m
Emma

Visit our new Website
News
Flash
www.dairyyouthaustralia.com.au

Cream of the Crop Competition
Dairy Youth Australia and Landlearn NSW have launched
the Cream of the Crop Competition - a great opportunity
for NSW students to win $1000 and get published
• The Cream of the Crop Competition is open to students in
NSW Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions studying
Agriculture, Primary Industries or Natural Resource
Management related topics.
• There is over $4500 in prize money on offer with an
awards ceremony scheduled for the Enter and
Sydney Royal Easter Show, 2010. win $1000
• For full details and entry form visit:
www.dairyyouthaustralia.com.au/competition

Update on farm yard
happenings Things have been pretty
exciting over the last 2
months. We have visitors
from Quebec.
Hi
I‟m Jenny
Hi
I‟m Marie - Pier

Marie-Pier and Jenny
live on dairy farms in
Quebec and exhibit
their cows @ shows in
Canada

So what did Marie-Pier
and Jenny get up to

Well there was
plenty to do

We did enjoy the great
Ozzie vino and tucker

And sat on a
little one
We climbed the big
bridge

We trained for the
cricket team and And ate crumpets –
took part in the All They taste fantastic
Bran Challenge. with maple syrup.
I must see if I can
sneak some of these
home in my suitcase.

We walked to the
edge and climbed
to the top

We learnt the difference
between league and
rugby we think !!!
Perhaps we need to see
a few more games.

Met a few
of the locals

We went
Go cart racing

Helped
GREEN
Australia

Saw the
sights

Who said
dairying
was
all work
and
no play???

Now back to
work !!
So tell us what is
Emma and Jet Jet and Emma
going to talk are going to tell
about today? us the circle of life
story from Calf to
Cow

Circle of Life
• Cows like all
living things
must have a
program to
make copies of
themselves
from
generation to
generation

Cow
Heifer Calf
Yearling

Starting at the beginning
• The cow is mated to a bull either naturally or
by Artificial Insemination (AI)
• At Clover Hill Dairies we try to AI all of our
cows – we will explore AI in more detail in our
“Day in the Life of a Vet” presentation
coming soon
• The gestation period for a cow is the same as
humans – 9 months

Birthing Process
• Calves are usually born front feet first with
the head between the front legs. If there is
only one leg and the head, or just the
head showing, then we will assist them.
• A mature cow usually takes 1–2 hours for
the full birth process from when the
„waters‟ initially break.
• Cows calving for the first time (heifers) can
take up to 4 hours.

Newborn Calves
A Holstein calf weighs
anywhere from
35 to 50kgs
at birth.

Up and about in no time
First Steps…..
Unlike human babies,
calves are generally able to
walk within a few hours of
birth and are able to run
within a day or two.

Getting off to the right start
•Like human babies, calves face big changes
when they come into the world. They have to
be able to survive in all weathers.
•They have to be able to deal with predators
from an early age.
•Cows often eat their afterbirth to discourage
predators like foxes

Oh my goodness
its time to get
back in the chook
house

Colostrum, the fuel for life
Calves are born with very little protection
against the bacteria and viruses. To help give
them immunity, their first milk drink
(Colostrum) is packed with antibodies as well
as extra energy, protein, vitamins and
minerals - to give protection against disease.
Calves born to milking cows are often fed
supplementary Colostrum.

The
newborn
calf is soon
wriggling
her tail and
nuzzling the
udder, the
busy lips
frothing
with milk
rich
colostrum

Yes we are very
cute aren't we??

What happens next?
• Dairy calves on most farms are reared by
hand.
• They are generally fed milk twice a day,
drinking between 4 and 8 litres daily.
• They are fed either surplus milk from the
dairy (some cows produce more than 60
cartons of milk per day!) or from high-quality
powdered milk replacer.
• Computer technology and Robotic calf
feeders can prepare the milk and feed it to
many calves.

So many options

Sometimes
Jersey calves are
slow drinkers to
start but when
they get going
WOW are they a
handful.

And when the calves get to be
about three months old its good
Housing
to have two pairs of hands.

Picture courtesy Dairy Australia These are baby pure bred Jersey
calves being fed with a teat
bottle. Aren't they adorable?

This is a robotic calf feeder

How do Robotic Calf feeders
work
• The Robotic calf feeder mimics mother
nature.
• A microchip in the ear of the calf
lets the CPU know when and if the calf is
due for a feed.
• The calf is weighed daily and computer
printout informs the operator of the calf's
daily progress.

How does the computer know
how much milk I have drunk
today ?
• Calves have special
electronic ID ear
tags which the
computer reads before it
drinks.
• Any calf that is not
drinking well will be
identified and treated if
necessary.

Calf Crèche
• Just like most mothers, dairy cows go back to
work.
• Farmers house their calves in a safe
environment like a kindergarten.
• Calves are often weaned off milk at 6-12
weeks of age.
• To help their digestion make the switch to
pasture, the calves are fed calf pellets,
grain and good-quality hay ...

On our farm we are put
in individual pens for 6
wks so Emma can keep
a close eye on us.
Then we move into a big
pen with a group of our
friends

This keeps us sheltered and
well fed until we go out in
the paddock onto pasture at
about 12 weeks

We all love
Emma and she
loves us

Lets talk about the stomach of a calf.
A calf is born with four stomachs like its mum
but only one stomach works. Just like human
babies.
Let me tell you all about it and show some
pictures of the changes over time .
There is lots of interesting info at this website.
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ud013.pdf.

At birth, the calf‟s stomach contains the same four
compartments found in adult ruminants. However,
the calf‟s reticulum, rumen, and omasum are
inactive and undeveloped. The newborn‟s
functional stomach, the abomasum, is similar to a
human‟s stomach. As the calf grows and begins to
consume a variety of feeds, its stomach
compartments grow and change accordingly
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ud013.pdf .

Calf health – what you should
know
• Farmers like
mothers know
when their
calves are
healthy and
when they
need extra
attention

Healthy calves
What to look for
– bright and alert eyes
– Perky ears
– Warm and wet nose
– Rhythmic breathing
– Clean and shiny coat
– Active and run around the pen
– Drink enthusiastically
– Rest in a curled position with feet tucked under
them

• Our six month old
heifers are fed on
pasture with extra
hay and pellets
• Holstein heifers
weigh about 200kgs
at this age. Dairy
farmers want their Ooh they get very
Holstein heifers to big don‟t they.
I don‟t feel so
gain 0.8kg to 1kg brave anymore
each day.

• Calves enjoy each
other‟s company.
• They like to mingle
with calves of the
same age.
• They are very
inquisitive
• They need clean, dry
housing and
protection from heat
and cold ... just like us! I want out of here
Help !!!!!!!

You‟re a scaredy
cat Bella.
Just look at us –
the cows don‟t
bother us

This is Lauren who is from Cambridge
University in the UK and is training to
be a vet. She stayed with us for work
experience in July 2008 . Lauren‟s
favourite job was looking after the
calves. Lauren knows all about Rugby
she plays for Cambridge

• This heifer is
called a yearling
because she is
over one year old
just like Madison.
She weighs
between 300 and
400kgs and still
has quite a bit of
growing to do
before she enters
the milking herd
in another year.

• Dairy farmers refer to
animals like this one
as a "first-calf heifer."
This cow is two years
old and recently had
a calf for the first
time. She is now
producing milk and
will keep on growing
for the next few years
before she is fully
mature. She weighs
about 600 to 650kgs.

This cow has had
4 calves and
produces over
20,000 litres of
milk per year
This cow is a “1st
Calf” heifer and
produces over
14,000litres of
milk per year

Adult cow
• The adult dairy cow weighs between 500 and
750kgs.
• She can eat over 26kg DM (dry matter = feed
with water content removed)
• She can produce anywhere between 15 and
100 litres of milk a day during the early part
of her lactation.
• A mature cow produces about 25 percent
more milk than a first calf heifer.

And I can drink over 100
litres of water per day.

Some fast facts
• Cows usually give birth lying on their side with legs
outstretched. Sometimes they may appear to be
dead when they are really just relaxing between
contractions.
• A cow has to pump 400 litres of blood through her
heart to produce 1 litre of milk
• A lactating cow drinks >100 litres of water a day
• When the milk leaves the cow it is at blood
temperature (38˚C) and is cooled to 4˚C within 1
hour

More fast facts..
• A cow has 4 stomachs (ruminant) consisting
reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum.
Feed is consumed quickly, and then
regurgitated from the rumen for further
chewing (cudding) whilst the cow rests. It then
passes further along the digestive system.
• There are 1.8 million dairy cows in Australia
producing ~9.2 billion litres of milk every year.

We all have favourites
and these two are mine.
This is Terrason Magpie
and her daughter
Dundee Magpie.

Visit our Website
www.dairyyouthaustralia.com.au

Jet and Emma Farm Management
Education Series K to 12
Links
Milk It
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-milk-it
Cups On Cups Off
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-cups-on-cups-off
Grow Grass Grow
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma
Seeding Time
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-seeding-time-1236604
How it all began – a Taste for Dairy
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/jet-and-emma-a-taste-for-dairy
Healthy Landscapes
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-healthy-landscape-1641792
Circle of Life – Calf to Cow
http://www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/circle-of-life-calf-to-cow

Acknowledgements
Farm yard animal graphics have been created
for the “Jet and Emma Get Down and Dirty
on the Farm” series by students from Mt Terry
Public School

Cream of the Crop
is a Dairy Youth Australia Inc initiative
supported by funding from
Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries
Farming for the Future Initiative.

The Jet and Emma Series is a Dairy Youth
Australia inc initiative assisted by Kiama
Municipal Council through its Sustainable
Living Grants Program.

Watch
this
space
we will
be back
soon