“My name is Wendy Beaumont, and together with my brother we manage our 200-acre beef and arable farm in South Shropshire. With around 200 cattle circulating on our farm at any one time and rearing 200 calves annually, managing their nutrition and well-being is a huge task”.
“Before discovering the JFC Evolution Automatic Calf Feeders, we relied on manual teat feeders, which involved considerable time and effort. Despite using other feeding methods to reduce some of the workload, we were still struggling to balance farm responsibilities and full-time jobs”.
“We came across the JFC Evolution Automatic calf feeder by chance. I found a video on YouTube and saw the JFC Evolution system was out in Ireland. I made a few inquiries and found out that it was going to be launched at Dairy Day in the UK. I headed into Dairy Day, where I met with the JFC team, and they talked us through how the system worked and what it could offer on our farm”.
“What struck me initially was the system's robustness and user-friendly design. Setting up the feeders was straightforward. We got our calves in batches and tagged them using replaceable electronic tags. Once they walk into the stall to get milk the machine identifies their tag and programmes them to the machine. We found that within a couple of days most of the calves have picked up the system very easily and are feeding themselves”.
“The system's control unit tracks each calves feeding schedule, providing us with an indication if anything is wrong to check on them. We have the S4 model, we monitor their feeding status through the machines traffic light system. When you see a red light, you can easily check to see whether that calf is hitting its daily feed and calf curve or whether is needs some attention. The system gives you the opportunity to have a look at that calf early before any problems worsen”.
“The mobile app enhances the machines monitoring capabilities. So, when you're perhaps in the house or away from the farm, you can easily see if there's problems with the system or check on your calves. It also warns you if the system stops, which is an encouragement to go out and have a look at the machine”.
“The JFC Evolution Feeder also offers a dual hopper system, this enables you to have two different pens on different milk powders. Since we buy our calves in, we also had an additive feature fitted onto one side of the feeder. This was purely for the purpose of being able to add electrolytes into their milk the first few days while they were settling into their new surroundings. Since having the system our scour problem has deteriorated completely due to the calves having their feed over a more regular period- for example smaller batches over a longer period”.
“One of the system's standout features is its weaning functionality, the feed curve allows you to set your own weaning period, so it will gradually drop the milk from the calves. We have our weaning period set over three-weeks, this way the calves don’t really notice that their milk’s being dropped. This transition minimises stress for the calves, ensuring their well-being throughout the process”.
“Our experience with United Milking, the local distributor, has been exemplary. From shed assessment to installation guidance, their support has been invaluable. Likewise, the assistance from the JFC Evolution service team. No matter what time of the day we know we have their support”.
“The JFC Evolution Automatic Calf Feeder has revolutionised our calf rearing process, it has simplified our calf rearing operations while prioritising calf health. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone considering moving to automatic calf feeding”.
Tuam, Co. Galway,
H54 RX46, Ireland
+353 93 24066
Maesbury rd, Oswestry,
SY10 8NN, UK
+44 16913 20003
info@jfcevolution.com
