Calf rearing: the secret to dairy success

Calves play the most important role in the production chain, according to this Caledon farmer.

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Cyril Walker, who runs a successful dairy operation on Ou Plaas farm near Greyton in the Caledon district of the Western Cape, loses less than 1% of his calf crop. Over the past few years, he has lost only one calf a year from a herd of 200 Jerseys in milk.

Walker, who was a civil servant in Caledon, bought an almost undeveloped farm in 1979 and turned it into a highly productive unit. One of the farm's boundaries is the Sonderend River. At present, 250ha of the 270ha farm is arable, and almost all the land can be irrigated if necessary.

Permanent irrigated pastures cover 54ha, apples are produced on another 8,5ha, and about 10ha are used for producing watermelons and pumpkins.

PROVIDING ABUNDANT FEED

Every farm operation, except for fruit and vegetable production, is aimed at providing abundant feed for milk production. About 10ha of lucerne on Ou Plaas are used for grazing, mainly by heifers growing out.

Some lands are used for dryland oats, which is cut and baled, except for some that is grazed, if necessary. Irrigated pastures consist mainly of grass and clover mixtures. Usually, 5kg of Nui grass seed are mixed with 4kg each of Ladino white clover and red clover.