Derbyshire: Weaning calves to perform at grass and sustaining farm profit in volatile years

Join us at Rough Grounds Farm for a farmer-led workshop looking at rearing youngstock for the best possible transition into the milking herd with Laura Tennant and Beckie Harrison, Bess Neil and Tony Evans. They will also be discussing resilience with grazing systems to stay profitable during lower milk prices.

Calf growth rates can drop quite dramatically once calves are turned out, and noticeable differences are often seen between batches.

The morning session of this meeting has been set up to focus on closing that gap – supporting lower-performing calves to lift growth rates and improve consistency across the group. The aim is simple: better growth now drives better results later.

We will address:

• Improving performance in calves with lower growth rates
• Strengthening their development into well-grown replacements
• Improving grass quality for calves to support stronger growth rates
• Improving first-lactation outcomes – with the spring 2025 first-lactation heifer group performing at around 83% of the third-lactation spring calvers
• Highlighting the opportunity to narrow that gap through targeted improvements at the rearing stage

Using real-life examples from the Worsey family, this meeting will help you:

• Understand the hidden costs of heifer rearing
• Discover the ‘true’ value of successfully transitioning your heifers to the milking herd

The afternoon session will focus on making profit in volatile years.

In today’s climate of fluctuating milk prices and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, maintaining profitability can feel like a moving target. The Worseys have continued to deliver consistent profits despite this volatility – and in this session, Tony will explore how through:

• The Worseys’ approach to staying profitable through volatile milk prices
• Managing risk in the face of unpredictable weather patterns
• Practical decision-making that protects margin, not just output (CFP analysis)
• Demonstrating the strategies behind their performance
• Clear, practical techniques that you can adopt within your own system

This session is designed to provide practical insight and real figures showing how resilience and profitability can go hand in hand, even in challenging years.

Tea and coffee is served from 10:00, the meeting starts at 10:30.

Speaker profiles

Laura Tennant

Dr Laura Tennant, Young Animal Feed Technical Advisor at Trouw Nutrition GB, graduated with a PhD in ruminant nutrition in 2017. She joined Trouw Nutrition GB in 2019 and is particularly focused on improving hydration in young calves.

Beckie Harrison

Beckie, from Peakfield Farm Vets, has worked with the Worsey family for many years and helped them introduce pneumonia vaccinations and lung scanning, as a part of their healthy calf club.

Neil Bess

Neil, Pasture for Profit consultant at LIC, has spent almost 15 years helping British farmers implement sustainable, profitable grazing systems, drawing on experience gained across three continents.

Tony Evans

Tony Evans is a Partner and Head of Dairy Consultancy at Andersons, and is also a long-standing Forage for Knowledge contributor.