Raising better cows from day 1: A breeder’s approach to early-life nutrition
To breed and sell superior dairy cattle, Luxembourg dairy farmer Pit Bosseler requires premium inputs for his breeding programme. His focus is to provide the best care for the cows he currently has on his farm, as well as the generations he will be bringing into the world in the future.
“We want to raise them right before selling them to other farms across Europe,” Bosseler says. “It’s important to us and other dairy farmers that these cows remain successful throughout their lives.”
Bosseler understands that starting calves on an elevated plane of nutrition sets them up to be healthy and productive for longer. This is the core philosophy of the Trouw Nutrition LifeStart programme: early-life nutrition drives gene expression and organ development, giving calves a metabolic edge that lasts a lifetime. By getting nutrition right in a calf’s earliest weeks of life, farmers are helping to program the high-performing cow she will become.
A natural blueprint for development
“That’s why we chose Sprayfo Ultimo,” Bosseler says. “It’s very naturally composed, with a very high fat content. On day 3, we put them on Sprayfo Ultimo, giving them 4 to 6 litres each meal, or around 12 litres a day.”
The most notable takeaway for Bosseler is the product’s palatability. The calves eagerly consume the full volume every time, supporting intensive early-life growth without disrupting farm efficiencies.
“This hasn’t really changed our daily routine,” Bosseler explains. “We feed them in the morning and then once again in the evening. In between those meals, they rest and I don’t have to come in to check on them 3 times a day to make sure they’ve consumed enough. Sprayfo Ultimo makes it easier for us to ensure our calves are perfectly cared for.”
Sprayfo Ultimo allows dairy farmers to feed intensively by working with a calf’s biology. Newborn calves have a highly sensitive gut. In a natural setting, whole milk does more than just provide calories; specific fatty acids act as biological signals that guide gastrointestinal (GI) tract development. Soon after birth, these fatty acids promote the closure of the intestinal lining, creating a natural barrier to pathogens.
Sprayfo Ultimo is the first calf milk in the market that features a patent-pending fatty acid profile designed to mimic the natural signals found in whole cow’s milk.
Side-stepping the weaning dip
The transition from liquid milk to solid feed is often where rearing programmes stall. Traditional feeding methods can lead to the dreaded “weaning dip” where growth rates stagger as calves struggle to digest solid starter feed.
With Sprayfo Ultimo it’s easier to bridge this gap. Because its fatty acid profile supports healthy GI tract development, calves can consume larger liquid volumes while still having the rumen capacity to take in concentrate feed. This results in much more balanced growth. For Bosseler, it means a weaning process that has less stress and fewer digestive upsets. It’s a smoother transition for everyone.
When Sprayfo Ultimo was first launched, the LifeStart team knew that Bosseler was the ideal partner to try out the product. As a top breeder who works exclusively with premium products, he always believes there is something better he can do in his barns.
“We have gone through autumn and spring with Sprayfo Ultimo and the calves have made it through fine,” Bosseler explains. “I don’t wake up every morning wondering what I’m going to find when I walk into the barns. I know the calves will be vital and lively.”
Measurable value for the future herd
The visual results on the farm are backed by rigorous science. LifeStart research indicates that optimised early-life nutrition can show visible results by 3 months of age, ultimately helping heifers reach their target breeding weight up to 3 weeks earlier.
For commercial dairy operations, this translates into direct economic value through reduced rearing time, fewer health-management interventions, and better resource use. By building more resilient animals, farmers can reduce the number of replacement animals needed to maintain herd size, lowering the farm’s carbon footprint per litre of milk produced later in life.
For a pedigree breeder like Bosseler, the ultimate metric of success is how those calves perform once they join a milking herd.
“We take great pride in that over the past 10 years we’ve been successful at livestock shows and achieved breeding success,” Bosseler says. “When a calf we bred ourselves later becomes successful as a cow, whether it is producing high milk yields or simply helping another farmer be successful, that is satisfying. By using Sprayfo Ultimo, we are doing something good for each calf and achieving our long-term goals.”
By combining advanced metabolic programming with practical on-farm efficiency, Sprayfo Ultimo provides dairy producers with a measurable return on investment and a better way to improve their herds. “For me,” Bosseler reflects, “raising a more resilient calf simply means everything we aim for. Eventually having high-performing cows brings us closer to our goal. And it’s satisfying, that by using Sprayfo Ultimo we’re doing something good for each calf and achieving our goal in the end.”
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