Student in the “Agricultural Sciences” program at the University of Hohenheim, trained farmer and member of the “Junge DLG” association

It’s great that, despite all the criticism of agriculture, there are always farms that open their farms to consumers in order to improve the connection to food production. 

I know some farmers who have sought contact with the public and have since stepped back – simply because there is a lot of ignorance when it comes to agriculture and there are always people who don't want to listen.

The accommodation for the calves in this picture will seem rudimentary to some. However, there are several reasons for keeping them alone in the first few weeks of life. It allows better hygiene and infection prevention and enables each animal to be fed individually with the mother's first milk, which contains antibodies, in the first few days of life.

From the third week of life at the latest, calves must be kept in groups, with additional space and roughage available. 

There are also reform proposals for the implementation of nurse or cow-based rearing. However, the higher costs for effort and the welfare of the calf must then also be reflected in a higher selling price in the supermarket.

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Director of the Center of Animal Husbandry at the University of Hohenheim and trained farmer

A biological, ethical, production-related, economic, and emotional challenge in equal measure: Do we separate the calf from the cow after just one to three days, or do we allow the calf to be reared in a cow-bound environment for many weeks? 

Our students are right to ask critical questions. If you then delve deeper into the topic together and also deal with many practical experiences, it becomes clear, among other things: Cow-based rearing is a system with many faces. 

A suitable solution must be found for each farm and its working conditions, and it is by no means an all-round carefree package. It can go hand in hand with great satisfaction among animal owners, but the opposite can also happen.

What does it mean for us in science?

I see it as our duty to research and improve the various methods of animal husbandry. But we also need to question our production methods, which have arisen from the necessities of the economy, food security, and food safety, among other things.

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Student in the 9th semester of the Bachelor’s “Biobased Products and Bioenergy” program at the University of Hohenheim, member of the Sustainability working group

This picture reminds me that on most farms today it is common practice to separate the calf from the mother cow just a few hours after birth, with the calves being reared separately from the cows. This should have advantages in terms of management, workload, and infection control. This is also intended to prevent a stronger bond between cow and calf and reduce the pain of separation.

A contrasting approach is to rear the calves directly with the actual suckler cows or with so-called nurse cows, which are assigned to suckle the calves. Research shows that this can have positive effects on cow and calf health and development. How the merely postponed, later pain of separation in turn affects or is evaluated remains a question for me. 

Despite possible improvements, dairy farming ultimately still means that animals have to die before their life expectancy. This is because there is always a surplus of male and female calves, which are then fattened and slaughtered for meat production.

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Director of the “Livestock Infectiology and Environmental Hygiene” department at the University of Hohenheim, specialist veterinarian for animal hygiene

My first thought about this image is: It is rather unrealistic for the calves to look at the plush udder of their own accord; there is probably another “stimulus” in the direction of gaze. 

Nevertheless, I associate this image with a fundamental problem on modern dairy farms: the motherless rearing of calves. In many cases, the calves are not even left with their mothers to receive the extremely important “first milk,” colostrum.

This seems heartless, but can be explained in various ways. As an animal hygienist, I see motherless rearing as a very efficient tool in terms of preventing infection in young animals. In most cases, however, there are practical or economic reasons (husbandry systems, workload). 

Early separation leads to various stress situations and thus to health problems (lack of maternal bonding, unphysiological feed intake, etc.).

My conclusion is therefore: Modern dairy farms should improve calf husbandry and try to keep cows and calves together for the first 14 days.

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Animal keeper and deputy director of dairy farming at the Meiereihof research station, University of Hohenheim

In all dairy farms around the world, calves are given so-called beestings, the first milk from their mothers or other cows, on the first day after birth. The beestings are very rich in antibodies and nutrients. 

On organic farms and in the calf shed at the University of Hohenheim, the calves then receive milk from all the healthy cows in the herd.

In the past, calves were tethered behind their mothers in tie stalls. This meant that they were close to their mother and were allowed to drink from their mother for the first few days or even longer. Later, tethering calves was banned for animal welfare reasons, as it restricts the animals’ natural urge to move. However, plenty of freedom of movement is very beneficial for growth.

If the cow and calf are separated in the first eight hours after birth, the bond is usually not yet established and they usually cope well.

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