On page 37 this week, Aidan Brennan profiles one of the three finalists in our heifer-rearing competition. It is by far the most important stage in the production cycle – illness or failure to hit growth targets during the first 12 weeks will negatively affect an animal’s lifetime performance. In Britain, we see specialised calf-rearing units becoming commonplace, fuelled by the year-round supply of calves. There is a huge gap in the Irish system in that the seasonal nature of our dairy model doesn’t allow for these specialised units. We should look to establish a number of centres of best practice to improve performance in this area.