Calf rearer, Aidan Cowley prefers to rear calves on whole milk. He stores around 40,000 L of colostrum milk, and rears half his calves on it only. But the milk doesn’t last forever, so Aidan must use Calf Milk Replacer (CMR).

Following the advice from PGG Wrightson Customer Service Representative Garry Vincent, Aidan has found Gusto-V-Whey CMR to be an affordable and reliable alternative compared to other products on the market. The fact that Garry himself rears 100 calves with Gusto each year was a convincing point for Aidan, who values the advice coming from an actual rearer.

Gusto-V-Whey is the result of careful formulation and rigorous quality control of ingredients, to create a consistent and high performing whey-based CMR. The powder dissolves readily and its quality ingredients ensure excellent digestibility. “Gusto is full fat and full protein with the full spectrum of nutritional components, so a good replacement for whole milk,” says Garry.

Calves are exposed to a number of environmental challenges in New Zealand, and supporting the young calf’s immune system and digestion is essential to successful calf rearing. Gusto-V-Whey does 

this by including: 

• Probiotics Bacillus Subtillis and Lichiniformus are a proven successful combination, attaching to the intestinal wall and leaving less opportunity for pathogenic bacteria like E-Coli 
  
  and Salmonella.
• Essential oils derived from herbs, like oregano, which have a well-researched inhibiting effect on less desirable bacteria, and help stimulate appetite and enzyme secretion.
• A combination of organic acids that supports the young calf’s acid barrier in the stomach, the first barrier for pathogenic bacteria and fungi ingested by the calf. 
• The complete range of Vitamins (A, B-group, C, D, E and K) and trace-minerals have been included to underpin the young calf’s immune system and vitality.

Rearing 180 to 200 calves per season, Aidan has worked out a feeding programme to help him meet his objective of weaning the calves at around 90 kg in approximately 90 days. “All the calves are fed colostrum milk on arrival,” he explains. “Then over that first week, we transition the calves onto Gusto-V-Whey CMR step-by-step, feeding them a mix of 50 percent CMR to 50 percent whole milk, then 70 percent to 30 percent, and finally transitioning them onto CMR only.” 

Aidan, who has been a PGG Wrightson customer for over 25 years, says, “I’ve always relied on the team at PGG Wrightson in Morrinsville. Garry provides excellent service, he gives good advice and always ensures we have the product on hand, which is essential during calf rearing.”

Contact your local PGG Wrightson store to find out more about the Gusto range or discuss your calf rearing feeding programme.