“Sprayfo calf milk replacers met my expectations in every regard”

Posted on July 12, 2022 in Testimonial

2021 Sprayfo reared calves grazing down one of the calf paddocks before new calves arrive, July 2022

Based on successfully rearing lambs with Sprayfo, Emma Williamson and her mum Kim switched to using Sprayfo calf milk replacers to rear 50 beef calves’ last spring.

Emma says the results were so impressive that she will happily recommend the products wherever she works in future.

Self-employed as a relief milker/farm help, Emma also works on her parents’ South Auckland farm as required.

“I had used Sprayfo Lamb milk replacers in previous years, rearing triplets, and quads” says Emma. “I was also aware of AgriVantage’s Launchpad18™ (colostrum powder) being a great product. So, when I came across Sprayfo calf milk replacers, I figured these products would perform equally as well.

“It was a pretty easy decision to try Sprayfo calf milk replacers - one which turned out to be highly cost-effective in the long term.”

Receiving calves between 4 and 10 days old, Emma fed Sprayfo Delta energised calf milk, a high-fat, high-energy calf milk replacer, twice-a-day for the first 14 days. She then transitioned them to Sprayfo Blue whey-based milk replacer, once-a-day.

“On Sprayfo Delta, the calves picked up condition quickly and were into their meal quickly too” Emma says. “There was no tummy upset during the transition from colostrum milk. These calves were in excellent health.

“The transition to Sprayfo Blue was seamless. I was so impressed with growth rates throughout; even the calves affected by Rotavirus grew well and were in excellent condition.

“We weaned the calves off milk at 8-9 weeks at 85 kilograms, keeping them on meal until they reached over 100kgs.”

After weaning off milk, the calves readily ate grass and their intake of meal increased to over 1kg/calf/day with no looking back. Emma puts this down to their excellent early growth rates and good rumen development.

“My parents keep all calves we raise” she adds. “The Sprayfo ones held their condition well through the recent drought.

“Sprayfo calf milk replacers met my expectations in every regard. Together with the support I received from AgriVantage, rearing with Sprayfo was a fantastic experience. (AgriVantage Business Manager) Cheryl Farrar is unbelievable; she always got back to me quickly, nothing was a problem, and she gave great advice.

“We look forward to using Sprayfo again this season.”