Young stock development refers to the management and care of dairy cattle from weaning through to maturity and their first lactation cycle. This critical growth period directly determines the future productivity, health, and longevity of the dairy herd. Proper young stock development focuses on achieving optimal growth rates through strategic nutrition, health management, and monitoring practices that ensure these animals develop into healthy, productive adults capable of reaching their full genetic potential.
Good young stock development
- Ensure proper nutrition at each growth stage to meet energy, protein and mineral requirements for optimal development.
- Maintains animal health through disease prevention, parasite control, and regular body condition monitoring.
- Achieves target growth rates that suppose lifetime production potential and reproductive performance.
- Implements practical monitoring systems to track progress and enable timely interventions.
- Maximises growth within feed limitations while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
- Improves efficiency, sustainability, and long term profitability of the farm.
This module will:
- Establish clear objectives for young stock development and demonstrate that target growth rates are achievable using case farms and national data.
- Provide practical tools for monitoring and feed planning, including MINDA weights tracking and young stock feed checkers.
- Demonstrate how to conduct effective weight reports and planning sessions with farmers.
- Explore nutritional considerations specific to young stock, including NDF, protein limitations, and supplement strategies.
- Cover practical on-farm strategies including residual management, intake limitations, and maximising growth within constraints.
Topics
1. Why focus on young stock development?
- Long-term production impacts and lifetime reproductive potential.
- The science behind growth and future performance.
- Economics of poor performance during this period (supporting farmer buy-in).
2. What does good look like?
- Animal health plans - avoid the handbrakes (ensure parasite and mineral plan).
- Case farms and national data demonstrating achievable targets.
- Good monitoring and intervention plan frameworks.
- Setting achievable targets when growth falls behind schedule.
3. Nutrition 101 for young stock- NDF and protein requirements and limitations.
- Crop and supplement considerations for young stock.
- Energy and growth requirements at different stages.
4. Monitoring and tracking tools
- MINDA weights tracking implementation.
- Young stock feed checker tools.
- Feed budget and diet checker applications.
5. Practical on-farm strategies
- Grass feeding - quality and residual considerations.
- Rules of thumb for residual management.
- Understanding and working with intake limitations.
- Achieving maximum growth within feed constraints.
6. Working with farmers
- Conducting effective weight report and planning sessions (planned and responsive).
- Spot check visits and getting on farm effectively.
- Farmer motivation and securing buy-in.
- Grazier vs. farmer tensions.
7. Case study applications - troubleshooting common challenge period
- Weaning check
- Summer dry
- Autumn (including larval challenge)
- Winter
- Early Spring (delayed pasture growth)
- Mating plateau