In the majority of organic dairy farming when calves are born they stay exclusively with their mother for the first few days, having the colostrum (first milk that contains nutrients and antibodies). They are removed from their mothers at this time so that the bond between the cow and calf is not too strong and so that the cow can rejoin the main milking herd. It’s then fed organic whole milk until it’s weaned, before moving on to grass/hay.
On our own family farms in Somerset, the calves born fall into three categories:
- British Friesian heifer calves will be the milkers of the future
- British Friesian bull calves which will be reared for beef or as breeding bulls
- Beef-cross bull and heifer calves will be reared for beef
80% of the beef reared in Britain comes originally from the national dairy herd.