Lallemand launches SMART GROWS calf programme
Lallemand Animal Nutrition’s SMART GROWS programme covers the period before and after weaning and is organised around different stages of young-ruminant development. Its stated objectives include supporting gut health, resilience, successful weaning, feed efficiency and feed-formulation optimisation. The offer combines products with management guidance rather than presenting nutrition as a stand-alone intervention.
The company identifies the first weeks after birth as a period of major physiological change. It says calves can experience an immune gap between two and four weeks of age: protection obtained from colostrum starts to fall while the calf’s own immune response is still developing. Lallemand also cites research in the Journal of Dairy Science reporting that as many as one in ten calves do not survive to weaning. The company links early-life health challenges with longer-term effects on development, productivity and future milk yield.
SMART GROWS includes microbial products such as probiotics and postbiotics, which Lallemand presents as tools for gut health and nutrient use. Live yeast is included in the programme to support rumen development as calves move from milk towards solid feed. The programme also contains starter feeds, nutritional supplements and advice on feeding practices during this transition.
Milk nutrition remains a central element before weaning. The programme offers milk-replacer solutions and guidance on maintaining hygiene during milk preparation and handling. Lallemand’s milk-replacer range uses yeast-derived protein as a digestible alternative to milk protein. According to the company, the ingredient can support digestion and palatability, while giving feed manufacturers another option when considering formulation costs.
The programme also addresses the calf’s housing environment. Bedding solutions are included to help maintain litter quality and support healthier housing conditions. Other services comprise feed-technology assistance, nutrition consultancy, on-farm audits and support from field specialists. These services are intended to help manufacturers refine milk-replacer and feed formulations and help farmers apply nutrition and management practices in line with individual farm conditions.
Lallemand has launched a dedicated digital platform alongside SMART GROWS. Users can examine young-ruminant solutions according to the animal’s development stage and the producer’s objectives. Laurent Dussert, Lallemand Animal Nutrition’s global category manager for ruminant and equine products, said that young ruminants offer an opportunity to influence outcomes over the animal’s lifetime. He said the programme brings together Lallemand’s portfolio and technical expertise for the challenges of early life.
