Professional calf rearing day at Hunland
On November 15th, 2023, the Hunland Professional Calf Rearing Day was held at our central location in Bugyi Alsóráda puszta. More than 200 of our partners participated in this extremely diverse professional day. Our top experts presented Hunland’s results, experiences and unique calf-rearing technologies based on Dutch foundations. The day ended with a visit to our calf farms in small groups and exchanging practical experiences.
Many know the Hunland Group as a trading company. Our activities are diverse to ensure that livestock trading is carried out to the highest quality, and to fully meet the needs of our partners. As a result, we conduct intensive production and calf rearing to breed healthy animals with excellent genetics for the Hungarian and foreign calf market. Our goal is to introduce our partners and industry players to a unique and currently lesser-known technology in Hungary. Therefore, the idea of organising a Professional Calf Rearing Day was born. We are extremely grateful that more than 200 partners were interested in it, exceeding all our expectations.
The host of the day was Erika Mata, the Group’s Commercial Director. “Our group is engaged in responsible animal husbandry on more than 20 owned and leased farms. We feed about 30,000 cattle every day. Outstanding living conditions, high-quality feeding, excellent animal health, and continuous improvement of our farms are all part of our daily work, and animal wellbeing is our passion,” she said. The professional day was spent in this spirit, and we wanted to share this knowledge with our partners.
Jos Janssen, owner of Hunland Group, opened the morning presentation series in which the speakers introduced the constantly evolving housing and animal health conditions, as well as the modern feeding processes.
Production Director, Guti Zoltán presented Hunland’s feeding concept and results, showcasing a calf and young animal rearing process and cycle that prioritises animal health and good immunity. Attendees also had the chance to learn about Hunland’s strictly regulated feeding processes for calves at different stages of their lives.
Dr. Bálint Balajthy, the Group veterinarian, spoke about intensive calf rearing, technologies, animal health, and possible pitfalls. Hunland’s main goal is to prevent calf diseases, which is a multifactorial process. He discussed hygiene steps, feeding, stable climate, grouping, and of course, the necessary vaccinations.
Guest speaker Cirsten Lokhorst-Klarenbeek, the owner’s representative from our main supplier, Klaramelk, presented the values of the family business and benefits of the Maxilac milk supplement product family. This product contributes greatly to the health and development of Hunland calves. She also provided a lot of useful information on the ideal nutrition for calves.
Finally, Hunland’s research and development Project Manager Eduárd Gubó talked about Hunland’s sustainability goals. In this regard, he reported on an outstandingly important study where animals were fed Anavrin, a natural ingredient feed supplement, to the cattle on Hunland’s premises. As calf rearing has a significant impact on methane emissions, our primary goal is to reduce them. The study found that not only did feeding Anavrin reduce methane emissions in animals, but it also resulted in weight gain, increased milk yield, and less use of antibiotics.
We ended the professional day with a visit to the 4,600-capacity calf farm and a tour of the central cattle farm. The groups were able to get a glimpse into our daily activities in the Hunland animal husbandry, which is essential for successful farming. Participants were able to witness the entire process from up close, from the arrival of the calves to feeding. The goal of many automated and computer-controlled activities is not only to make daily work easier, but also to maximise hygiene and create the best conditions for our animals.
The Professional Calf Rearing Day was one of those rare occasions when we had the opportunity to engage more than 200 partners in informal and open conversations, and exchanging experiences. Hunland’s team draws motivation and guidance for building a common future and new developments from these feedback. Therefore, it is our intention to present the latest knowledge of responsible animal husbandry at further professional days on various topics.
