TOTAL CALF returns for 2026

Get Ready for Total Calf 2026!

Good Calves Don’t Happen by Accident-Unlocking Lifetime Value in Every Calf

Following the success of last year’s Total Calf conference series, Total Calf is returning this October with an expanded line-up of practical calf-focused events across the UK and Northern Ireland.

The 2026 Total Calf Conference Series will take place from Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th October, bringing together farmers, vets and industry professionals for practical, discussion-led events focused on improving calf health, performance and long-term profitability.

Event Locations

13th October – Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa, Nantwich

14th October – Skitby House, Carlisle

15th October – Seagoe Hotel, Portadown in conjunction with Thompson Feeds Belfast

Last year’s conference series generated strong discussion around the long-term value of getting calf-rearing fundamentals right from the very beginning. As highlighted in the Farmers Guardian coverage of the event, key themes included the importance of consistency, starter intake, early-life nutrition and the long-term impact calf management can have on future performance and lactation potential.

This year’s programme will continue to build on that practical focus, with sessions designed to help farmers identify the small management details that make the biggest difference on farm.

Confirmed Speakers:

We are delighted to be welcoming back Dr. Jim Quigley, following the hugely positive response to his sessions at last year’s events.

Dr Quigley is recognised globally as one of the leading voices in calf nutrition and early-life calf management. Through his internationally respected Calf Notes publications, Jim has helped shape calf-rearing practices on farms across the world by translating complex research into practical, on-farm solutions that farmers can realistically implement.

His sessions are highly practical, engaging and commercially focused, helping farmers better understand how early-life nutrition, starter intake and rumen development directly influence calf health, growth and long-term lifetime performance.

Whether you rear 20 calves or 2,000, Jim brings practical insight and proven management principles that can make a real difference on farm.

Dr. Emma Bleach senior lecturer in Animal Science in the Agriculture and Environment Department at Harper Adams University will also be returning this year. Dr Bleach’s main research focus is on rearing systems for the dairy-bred calf with the aim of optimising the growth, health and well-being of calves and heifers, to support sustainable dairy production. Her research includes investigations of milk feeding options for dairy-bred calves, concentrate feeding systems and other additional feeds, with a particular interest in easing the weaning transition for the calf.

Joining the speaker line-up for the first time this year is Dr. Katie Denholm BVMS PhD MVS PGCAP FRCVS, farm animal vet and Senior University Clinician in Farm Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Katie brings a strong combination of practical farm experience and academic research, with particular interests in calf health, colostrum management, bacterial contamination and transition milk feeding. We are very excited to welcome her to this year’s conference series.

A key feature of this year’s events will once again be the practical, discussion-led format, focused on the small management details that can have a major impact on calf health, performance and long-term outcomes.

The goal of the Total Calf Conference Series remains simple:

Deliver practical calf-management information that farmers can immediately implement on farm.