With almost two million calves due over the coming months, it’s a busy time on beef and dairy farms. In this second part of our special Focus on calves, we report on the issues that matter.

In this week's focus Aidan Brennan outlines some top tips for reducing labour with calf rearing. Tommy Moyles reports from the new calf facilities in Bandon Mart. The fact that the mart is expanding facilities shows a strong vote of confidence in the sector by Cork Marts.

For beef farmers, rearing dairy-bred calves is all about making money. Adam Woods visits the Teagasc Grange research centre for an update on the latest trial results on dairy calf-to-beef, looking at performance and margins for the different breeds being evaluated.

We also outline the different options available for computerised calf feeders. The new grant aid on calf feeding and calf rearing equipment has increased the interest in computerised feeders. It remains to be seen if the scheme will be over-subscribed or not. If it is, there could be a linear cut to the amount of grant aid received. Either way, farmers that are thinking about installing a computerised feeder need to act quickly, as suppliers are now operating at full capacity.

Darren Carty has a detailed analysis of the prospects for the calf export trade in 2020. Last year, almost 200,000 calves were exported from Ireland. This export trade provides a valuable outlet for calves. It is only when the exporter’s hand is removed from the ring is he missed.

Of note is the huge increase in exports to Spain, but the Netherlands remains the largest export market. Interestingly, the meat from most calves that are exported to the Netherlands is exported back out in the form of veal to France, Italy and Germany.