NFT Farmer

Overview

The Cause For The Calves (CFTC) farm project is a DeFi project with real-world utility as it has a goal to provide and support the farming industry, specifically the raising and caring for bull, abandoned and heifer calves. It is also a project that maintains transparency, honesty and integrity at its very core, treating investors with the respect that they deserve.

The Cause for the Calves farm project has a goal to provide and help as much as possible with the farming industry, specifically the raising and caring of bull calves and heifer calves.

An article from Frontiers in Veterinary Science exposes the following: “Surplus dairy calves consist of all dairy bull calves and any heifer calves not needed as replacements for the milking herd. The fate of these surplus calves varies by region; for example, in Australia and New Zealand they are often sold as “bobby” calves and slaughtered within the first weeks of life; whereas, in North America they are normally sold within the first weeks of life but reared for 16–18 weeks as veal or longer as dairy beef. Regardless of region, demand for these calves is often very low, driving down prices and in some cases leaving farmers with no alternative options other than on-farm euthanasia. The notion that dairy cows must give birth to produce milk and that the calves are immediately separated from the dam, many of which will end up immediately being sold as surplus calves, has become a topic of public concern. These concerns have increased given the growing number of pictures and stories in the media of on-farm euthanasia, dairy calves being transported at very young ages and frequently receiving sub-standard levels of care.”

Our farm is in Southwest Western Australia and is not the owner or the operator of the dairy, we are not animal activists; we are people who are passionate about the care and wellbeing of these animals and about doing our small part in making the dairy industry more ethical.

All calves on our farm are treated with the highest respect and care.

Most of our calves are purchased from a local dairy farm and this ensures that all animals are treated equally on this farm. Each calf gets to feed the essential colostrum milk from its mother for 2 days regardless of sex and then we transport the calf to our property so that we can ensure that they are handled in an appropriate manner and upmost care. Each year we are also contacted by various farmers to care for orphaned or abandoned beef calves. All calves spend the first 2-3 days in large sheltered pens with elevated timber slat flooring for cleanliness with thick perforated rubber sheeting for warmth and comfort, pens are high pressure cleaned each day and calves are moved into clean dry pens each day and each pen hold up to 5 calves so they can learn how to feed successfully and get acquainted to us. They are then introduced to the outside grass paddocks, all which have clean fresh rainwater drinking troughs, fresh pelleted grain daily, fresh oaten hay daily, and access to all weather shelters that are high pressure cleaned at least daily.

We ideally would like to be able to raise all of the 200 plus bull calves per year to be full grown animals but due to limitations on our land, currently most have to be moved to other farms or sold around 3-4 months of age post weaning where there is almost always a loss financially. However some of the lucky ones do get a forever home and appear on my YouTube channel and you will get introduced to some of these and the reason why for each. I accept making a loss on bull calves is a poor business model but for the past 9 years we have accepted this cost for helping instill some "ethics in the milk" by giving all animals a chance to fulfill their potential.

In the last two years I have suffered a spinal cord injury that has permanently damaged my sciatic nerve and resulted in some of the muscles not working in my right leg, including drop foot. I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees and elbows. I also had an acoustic neuroma brain tumor which has left me with severe side effects: being deaf in my right ear, really loud tinnitus and constant vertigo leading to chronic fatigue and chronic pain. All these conditions were diagnosed, I underwent surgeries in 2020. In spite of these health issues, I just don't want to give up on these calves.

The Cause for the Calves farm project needs the community’s investment to continue to fund the quality care that we provide to the animals: veterinary care, vitamins and supplements, 100% whole warm milk fresh from the dairy, highest quality pellet grain mixture, oaten hay, and clean rainwater. All of the calves' needs are fully met and they are loved. All aspects of our business will be shown and explained on YouTube with both videos and livestreams, including patrons being able to ask questions which I will answer and show all the aspects of quality animal husbandry.