Lallemand Animal Nutrition has launched SMART GROWS, a young-ruminant programme designed to support calf health, welfare and resilience from birth through weaning. The programme combines milk replacers, starter feeds, nutritional supplements and farm-management support to address the challenges faced by calves during the critical early-life period.
According to Lallemand, the first weeks of life are particularly important for young ruminants as they develop their immune systems, establish healthy digestive functions and gradually transition from milk to solid feed. Effective management during this stage can influence both immediate health and longer-term animal performance.
Focus on the Critical Early-Life Period
Calves face significant physiological changes during the first weeks after birth. Lallemand highlights an immune gap that can occur between two and four weeks of age, when the protection received through colostrum begins to decline while the calf’s own immune response is still developing.
The company cited research published in the Journal of Dairy Science indicating that up to one in 10 calves do not reach weaning. Early-life health challenges can also have longer-term implications for animal development, productivity and future milk yield.
SMART GROWS has therefore been designed around supporting calves throughout this vulnerable period through a combination of nutrition, hygiene and management practices.
Supporting Gut Health and Rumen Development
The programme includes microbial solutions such as probiotics and postbiotics intended to support gut health and nutrient utilisation.
Live yeast is another component of the programme, with the company positioning it as a tool to support rumen development as calves transition from milk to solid feed. The development of a functioning rumen is an important stage in preparing young animals for diets increasingly based on solid feed.
By combining nutritional products with management guidance, SMART GROWS aims to provide producers with a broader approach to young-ruminant development rather than focusing on individual feed products.
Milk Replacer and Hygiene Solutions
Milk nutrition remains central to calf development before weaning. Lallemand’s SMART GROWS programme includes milk-replacer solutions as well as approaches focused on maintaining milk hygiene and consistent milk-replacer quality.
The company’s milk-replacer offering incorporates yeast-based protein as a digestible alternative to milk protein. Lallemand said the ingredient can support digestion and palatability while also providing opportunities for feed manufacturers to consider formulation costs.
Milk hygiene is addressed as another part of the programme, reflecting the importance of consistent preparation and handling of milk and milk replacers during the early-life period.
Bedding and Farm Management
SMART GROWS also extends beyond nutrition to the calf’s housing environment. Bedding solutions form part of the programme, with the objective of maintaining litter quality and supporting healthier housing conditions.
The programme includes feed-technology support, nutrition consulting, on-farm audits and field specialists. These services are intended to help manufacturers optimise milk-replacer and feed formulations while assisting farmers in applying nutrition and management practices according to their specific farm conditions.
Digital Platform for Young-Ruminant Solutions
Lallemand has also introduced a dedicated digital platform for SMART GROWS. The platform allows users to explore young-ruminant solutions according to different stages of animal development and production objectives.
The programme covers the period from pre-weaning through post-weaning, with objectives including gut health, resilience, successful weaning, feed efficiency and formulation optimisation.
Laurent Dussert, Global Category Manager, Ruminant and Equine at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, said young ruminants provide an important opportunity to influence lifetime outcomes. He added that SMART GROWS brings the company’s portfolio and technical expertise together around the specific challenges of early life.
Supporting Long-Term Calf Performance
The launch reflects a broader focus within the dairy industry on improving calf management through integrated nutrition, hygiene and farm practices. Healthy development during the first weeks of life can help producers manage the transition to solid feed and prepare calves for later stages of production.
By combining nutritional products, microbial solutions, milk hygiene, bedding and technical support, SMART GROWS provides an integrated framework for young-ruminant management from birth through weaning and beyond.