NWF Agriculture have developed a Youngstock Team consisting of ruminant feed specialists across the UK, developed to help improve the health and performance of calf rearing units and businesses. The NWF Youngstock team can provide advice and services ranging from testing colostrum and monitoring growth to devising protocols and staff training.
Youngstock Nutrition
NWF Agriculture manufactures a comprehensive range of dairy and beef compounds and blends for youngstock and cows. The NWF youngstock team is perfectly positioned to provide knowledge and support on all aspects of calf rearing. Our comprehensive range of feeds are back by our extensive calf rearing range of Milk Replacers, Minerals & Supplements.
Further supporting our youngstock team, is our blends desk who offer a portfolio of standard and bespoke youngstock blends.
Feeding Advice
Our Youngstock Team have been nutritionally trained to offer feeding support and advice. They are FAR registered, an industry accreditation that sets the standards for feeding advice.
Weighing & Growth
A member of the youngstock team will visit your farm, bringing all the necessary equipment, to weigh, measure, and monitor calves, as well as offer practical advice to help maximise your productivity when raising youngstock. Regularly monitoring body weight and growth can indicate potential issues in your system, and through their technical and youngstock training, the team can offer appropriate advice.
Procedures & Gathering Data
The best way to understand how your livestock is performing and the performance of the business is by collecting data. In calf rearing, daily liveweight gain is one of the most important indicators of efficiency of long term performance and profitability of the enterprise.
Housing
The environment where calves are housed is key to rearing healthy and productive calves. The type of housing will differ depending on the individual farm’s infrastructure. Location, wind speed, ventilation and moisture are all key components for calf housing, where calves must have sufficient space to express normal behaviour; to stretch and groom, stand up, eat, sleep and play.
Calf housing should be comfortable and clean, enabling the calf to focus on growing. The NWF youngstock team offers advice on a range of housing issues, including airflow and lying space. Conducting simple tests such as nesting scores is a great way to assist your calf housing.
The dedicated NWF youngstock team offer a comprehensive range of services and advice to support the rearing of youngstock. Contact the team on 0800 756 2787 or email youngstock@nwfagriculture.co.uk
Meet the Team
Hannah Farrell discovered her passion for calf rearing while working on a dairy farm in New Zealand. This initial experience ignited a career that took her to work across multiple dairy farms in Cumbria. Hannah is dedicated to optimising calf performance and maximising growth efficiency through regular weighing and monitoring of calves. Her role involves tracking daily live weight gain to provide invaluable data and insights that help farmers maximize their herd’s potential. Driven by a commitment to ensuring calves receive the best start in life, Hannah believes that the future of the dairy industry and farmers’ success hinges on effective calf management.
Hannah covers the NWF North sales region: Cumbria, Lancashire and surrounding counties.
Louisa grew up on a dairy farm in North Wales and always had a keen interest in animal productivity and welfare, especially youngstock, this led her to complete an MSc in Animal Nutrition at the University of Nottingham where her interest in youngstock grew. After graduating, Louisa joined the NWF Technical team as a Technical Formulator, whilst also enrolling in the fifth NWF Academy, our in-house program to develop key ruminant nutrition skills and knowledge. Louisa is keenly interested in improving farm sustainability through maximising efficiencies and youngstock management.
Louisa provides technical support for farmers and our team.
From growing up and working on her family dairy farm in Cheshire, to studying for a technical diploma in agriculture at Reaseheath College, Lucy has a passion for improving youngstock management to help farmers maximise their calf-rearing enterprises. Lucy previously worked as a calf rearer, focussing on driving DLWG and calf health to support the future milking herd.
Lucy covers the NWF central sales region: Cheshire & surrounding counties.
Growing up on a beef and sheep farm in Cornwall, Jess took on ownership of calf rearing from a young age. After completing a degree in Agricultural studies at Plymouth University, Jess worked as a calf rearer whilst buying and rearing her own youngstock. Jess now runs a beef suckler and finishing unit in Cornwall outside of NWF.
Jess covers the NWF South sales region: Cornwall, Devon and surrounding counties.
