Health, grazing performance and tackling summer scour focus of CalfCare events
Animal Health Ireland (AHI), in collaboration with Teagasc's DairyBeef 500 Programme, will once again bring practical calf-rearing advice directly to farmers this June through the Summer CalfCare 2026 series of on-farm events.
This year’s programme will focus on three key areas that are central to calf performance during the summer months: keeping calves healthy, understanding and preventing summer scour, and maximising calf performance at grass.
Running over three consecutive evenings from June 9-11, the events will take place on host farms in Louth, Sligo and Kildare. The events aim to showcase best practice in calf rearing and help farmers maintain animal performance throughout the grazing season.
The summer calf walks have become a valuable source of information since their introduction last year, offering dairy, beef and dairy-beef farmers an opportunity to see successful management practices first-hand while discussing current challenges with advisors, vets and fellow farmers.
Keeping calves healthy
Maintaining calf health remains the foundation of any profitable calf-rearing enterprise. While many farmers associate health challenges with the early spring period, summer presents its own set of risks.
Speakers at the events will discuss practical measures to support calf immunity, minimise disease pressure and maintain consistent growth rates throughout the grazing season. Particular emphasis will be placed on monitoring animal performance, recognising early signs of illness and implementing preventative health strategies.
The walks will demonstrate how attention to detail in areas such as nutrition, grazing management and animal husbandry can have a significant impact on long-term performance. Healthy calves are more likely to achieve growth targets, perform efficiently at grass and ultimately deliver improved profitability within both dairy and dairy-beef systems.
Understanding summer scour
A major focus of the 2026 events will be summer scour, a condition that can significantly affect calf growth and welfare during warmer months.
While scour is often associated with young calves in spring, cases can also emerge during summer grazing. Farmers attending the events will hear about the common causes of summer scour, including nutritional factors, parasites, grazing management issues and environmental challenges.
Experts will outline practical steps to reduce the risk of outbreaks and explain how early intervention can minimise the impact on animal performance. The importance of accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment strategies will also be discussed.
Given the long-term effect that digestive health can have on growth rates and overall productivity, organisers believe this topic will be of particular interest to farmers seeking to maximise returns from their calf-rearing enterprises.
Calf performance at grassroots
Grass remains the cheapest feed available on Irish farms, making effective grazing management a key driver of profitability.
The Summer CalfCare events will examine how farmers can optimise calf performance at grass during the crucial first grazing season. Discussions will focus on achieving target liveweight gains, maintaining grass quality and ensuring calves make the most efficient use of available forage.
Attendees will have the opportunity to see grazing infrastructure and management practices operating successfully on the host farms. Topics such as paddock management, grass allocation, supplementation strategies and monitoring performance will be explored.
For dairy-beef producers in particular, achieving the desired levels of liveweight gain during the first grazing season is critical to maintaining system profitability and ensuring animals remain on track to meet finishing targets.
Learning from host farmers
A key attraction of the Summer CalfCare series is the opportunity to learn from experienced host farmers who are successfully implementing best practice on their own farms.
This year’s events will take place on the farms of Francis Bellew in Monasterboice, Co. Louth; Caroline and Kieran Henry in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo; and Simon and Peter Byrne in Castledermot, Co. Kildare.
Visitors will gain practical insights into how these farmers manage calf health, grazing and overall performance within their systems.
- Tuesday, June 9: Francis Bellew, Hamlinstown, Monasterboice, Drogheda, Co. Louth, A92 NR52 at 7pm.
- Wednesday, June 10: Caroline and Kieran Henry, Toberscarden, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, F91 X3C4 at 7pm.
- Thursday, June 11: Simon and Peter Byrne, Newtown, Castledermot, Athy, Co. Kildare, R14 R763 at 7pm
Practical advice for the grazing season
According to AHI, the aim of the events is to provide practical, on-farm advice that farmers can implement immediately. The focus on summer management reflects the importance of maintaining momentum after the intensive spring calf-rearing period.
With calf performance during summer often determining overall system success, organisers believe the events will offer valuable information for anyone involved in calf rearing, whether in dairy, beef or dairy-beef enterprises.
Each event will commence at 7pm and conclude with refreshments and an opportunity for discussion among attendees. Farmers are encouraged to attend and take advantage of the practical knowledge, technical expertise and real-world experience on display