Before Simone Dawson perfected her pre calver management strategy, she was on the verge of significantly cutting down cow numbers to a more manageable level. However, her calving issues swiftly resolved after she introduced a simple yet effective tool: a humble yellow feed bucket.
With almost half a million followers on TikTok alone, you might have already witnessed the antics of farming influencer – Simone Dawson – and her beloved pedigree herd of Limousins.
When Simone isn’t working hard for the family business distributing Ifor Williams trailers and parts from Tuer Trailers, she’s often found unwinding with her cattle next-door.
“My grandad set up the family business and started farming before I was born”, explains Simone. “He randomly bought a Limousin cow, and it all progressed from there. When we lost him, me and me mam kept it going. I work all hours, and if we didn’t have the cows, we wouldn’t have that mental break. Limousins have a bad ‘rep’ for being a bit wild, but ours are really quiet, and I think that’s why people buy them. If I can give them a chance at a breeding home, that’s what I try and do”, says Simone.
“I started doing social media three years ago. I was always videoing my cows anyway, but I didn’t realise people would enjoy them like they do. People not from farming backgrounds don’t understand how much work and love goes into farming. Farming gets a lot of bad press, but I don’t personally get much negativity. People see that I only farm because I love the animals. The comments I get really brighten my day.”
Efficiency a non-negotiable
While the farm is not Simone’s full time gig, like any farm, it has to run smoothly and cannot afford to take on any extra unnecessary costs.
“We were calving all year round which was really hard work. We didn’t know when cows were going to calve so me and mam were up every two hours to check. It took a lot out of us; we were working all day and up a lot of the night. So, we started block calving for the first time this year, and it’s made a big difference. We were also feeding a really fancy blend, but it was just too extortionate, so we changed onto a simpler and cheaper blend and they’re actually doing just as well”, says Simone.
“Three years ago, calves were born with joints knuckled over. The vet said to do as much physio as I can. I got it into my head that I need to do it every hour throughout the night and all through the day. In the end it really took its toll, I was blaming myself and getting into a rut. I stopped stroking and playing with the little ones and turned into a bit of a robot. I had no choice but to half the herd”.
“A customer came into the office and said how tired I looked. When I told him why, he asked whether I’d tried Crystalyx Pre Calver feed licks. We tried it – admittedly sceptically – but have never had the problem since. Not one calf! We had one cow whose calves would get it every year. She was the first to calve, and as soon as I picked up the calf’s feet, I knew it didn’t have it. It was amazing”, explains Simone.
The results of using Crystalyx
“Calves are much more alert and up within five to ten minutes sucking with a little bit of bounce. Come to think of it, the cows also keep their condition a lot better. We used to cake them when out in the field, but since offering Crystalyx Pre Calver, we’ve not had to. They go down really well but they also last. Even in the summer when it’s red hot, they don’t crack”.
“We have also tried the Crystalyx Garlic bucket for the flies in the summer, and the effect was pretty much instant. Especially for ‘big fella’ (the stock bull) being inside because he doesn’t like going out. He stopped lying flat out, but after a day with the bucket, he was settled and flat out again! We noticed other cows were galloping around the field to try and get flies off them, and they quickly settled down too”.
“Crystalyx has always worked for us. I swear by them. We’ve now built the herd back up and things are running really well”, concludes Simone.
