Raise A Belgian Blue For Hospice

Raising funds is an ongoing challenge for Hospice South Canterbury for it to provide free specialist end-of-life care to patients and support for their family/whanau. One challenge has been how to involve the rural sector more, and with that in mind Hospice brought together a group of local farmers to come up with ideas.

They identified an initiative involving Samen NZ and the use of short gestation Belgian Blue semen crossed over dairy cows, producing higher-yielding beef animals.

Raise A Belgian Blue For Hospice aims to pull together a variety of agricultural specialists. World Leading Dairy Beef Genetics, dedicated Dairy Farmers, Calf Rearers, Calf Finishers, Transportation Specialists, Meat Processors, and More!

The Initiative

Hospice SC is calling on its long-standing farming community to help make a difference in people’s lives when it matters most. Hospice is asking local dairy farmers to simply donate one of their Belgian Blue calves next season, which Hospice will then take on to finishing. Samen NZ is happy to donate five straws of their Short Gestation Belgian Blue straws when the dairy farmer agrees to simply donate one of the Belgian Blue calves that arrives during their next calving season.

These calves will then be reared by calf rearers, finished by finishers, and processed at 16 months old. Profits received from the Raise A Belgian Blue initiative will be donated to Hospice to help it meet its ongoing funding shortfall. Hospice SC is also currently talking to a variety of calf rearers and finishers to get the donated Belgian Blue placed in happy homes where they can thrive.