“We have had an amazing amount of support from sponsors and people have come forward to help with various things.
“Without this support we wouldn’t be able to get this initiative off the ground so it is fantastic to see the industry come together to ensure this iconic event does not disappear.”
The site was launched in July as a way to continue the tradition of calf club, which is designed to encourage children to take an active interest in the welfare and presentation of a calf.
Registrations are open on the Calf Club NZ website where systems and processes have been fine tuned to make it easy for children to upload their entries.
“We have decided to make this a regional competition so that children and their calves can compete locally rather than against someone at the other end of the country,” Herbes said.
“Calving in the South Island is also a little bit later than in the North so it puts everyone on level playing field.”
A regional competition will be easier to manage for judging. Twenty people have already volunteered to serve as judges.
The voting system will go live on September 24 and the top 10 entrants will be visited on farm where they will be able to show off just how well they have trained their calves.
With calving now well under way, children will be selecting and training a calf to put its best hoof forward for judges.
Those calves lucky enough to be selected will be pampered and smothered with attention over coming weeks as children rear and train their four-legged friends to lead.
All that training will culminate in a day of grooming, tail brushing and scrubbing hooves with those judged the best winning the top awards.
The team at Dairy Farmer is proud to be the official media partner of Calf Club NZ and support this grassroots programme.
With the help of sponsors LIC we have come up with some tips on how to care for and train your calf in preparation for the big day.
Tips for training your calf
Caring for Your Calf
Your calf will need a pen or a well-fenced paddock with shelter to protect it from cold wind and rain, especially when it is very young. For the first few days as you become friends it will help if this is a small area so wherever you are in the pen, you are close to the calf, it can hear your voice and will soon begin to trust you.
If your calf is housed in a pen make sure its bedding is always clean – rake any soiling out of the bed regularly so your calf has a nice, clean, dry place to rest.
Feeding
Right from the start your calf will need feeding twice a day – in the morning before you leave for school and the afternoon when you get home.
Calves need lots of milk. You will need a special feeder bottle to feed your calf. To avoid your calf getting scours make sure everything it eats and drinks out of is spotlessly clean.
Feeding your calf is the important first step to getting it to trust you – and that’s the beginning of your friendship.
Your calf will need good-quality, fresh, long grass and clean water in a low trough it can easily reach.
Training
Calves need to learn three things on the lead – walk alongside you, turn when required and to stop.
Once you can put a halter on your calf you can begin to teach it to lead. Start with a few minutes training each day.
Training time should be fun for you and the calf. Decide what you want to achieve, do it and after each session praise and pat your calf.
You want your calf to walk on your right and for its head/shoulder to be alongside you. Hold the rope with your right hand close to the halter with the rest of the rope in your left hand so you and your calf don’t trip on it. Never wrap the rope around your hand – that is dangerous and could mean you are dragged if the calf gets a fright and tries to run away from you.
Once your calf happily walks alongside you, start teaching it to turn.
Calves lucky enough to be selected will be pampered and smothered with attention over coming weeks as training begins.
Remember, you are on display as well as your calf so be sure you are also dressed neat and tidy and enjoy yourself because the judges will be looking for signs that you are comfortable with and care for your calf.
Give your calf lots of hugs and pats for a job well done.
And remember, while the calf goes back to being a member of a mob of calves it will still remember you – many farmers can point out the Calf Club calves in their herds today because they are often the quietest and friendliest in the herd. And that’s a nice thought, knowing you have trained such an animal.
Good luck.
MORE:
For further information or to register your calf go to www.calfclubnz.co.nz
And for more tips on how to train your calf go to www.lic.co.nz/about/calf-club/
