Probiotics are seen in some quarters as the ‘next big thing’ to support sustainable farming practices and the Clutha Ag. Board’s latest project is currently testing their value to calves in their first few weeks of life on three farms in the Clutha district and some 300 calves.

According to the World Health Organisation, probiotics are live micro-organisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.  Thousands of pieces of research have been done overseas in a variety of agricultural contexts and there are many studies which show health or production benefits.  The jury is out in other quarters as to whether they can successfully colonise the gut and have any significant impact.

In New Zealand, where farming practices are often quite different from overseas, only one limited study of the possible weight gain and health benefits to calves has been done previously, and so the Ag. Board is thought to be undertaking a significant study of national and perhaps international importance.

Calves have been paired in groups of between 12 and 20 calves, one group has been given 20mls per calf, per day of a probiotic supplement and a matched group in terms of starting weights and birth dates acts as a control group.  The project team used a fresh probiotic supplement which has millions of lactobacilli per dose. There are 10 such grouped pairs on the farms in West Otago, near Clinton and near Balclutha. All calves are being weighed weekly on each farm.

“Each farm has a slightly different calf rearing system, but we have tried to match supplement and control groups so that the probiotic has been the only variable,” said Ag. Board Projects Manager Malcolm Deverson. “It’s not easy doing this sort of investigation on farm at any time, but at calf rearing, the farmers will be making decisions that will affect their profitability into the future. We are very appreciative of the time and thought our calf rearers have put into this project. The industry should reward people like this.”

It was suspected at a preliminary trial undertaken by the Ag. Board last spring with the help of Telford Farms that there may have been a feed-conversion advantage in the probiotic-fed calves. The ability to put on weight faster is something else being investigated.  The project team is also looking at the fact that calves often lose their weight gain momentum when they are taken out of their pens and put onto grass after 3-5 weeks. There is some suggestion that the probiotic calves may make that transition more successfully.

The trial is funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund and DairyNZ.  Malcolm Deverson said that the completed seven weeks of data would be in the hands of the science analysts soon and results are likely to be available in the new year.