Sponsor

Veal Farmers of Ontario

For More Information

Please review the attached Request for Proposal guide (attached in the File Attachment section). 

Description

Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO) is a producer-led organization representing veal and dairy calf farmers across Ontario. As a regulated board under the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Act, VFO invests in research and programs that advance industry development and improve calf health. This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to address a persistent challenge in calf management: effectively preparing the rumen for transition to high-carbohydrate rations during weaning.

VFO is committed to supporting evidence-based research and best practices that promote the health and productivity of calves in Ontario. Our strategic focus ensures all calves receive consistent, high-quality care—regardless of their production destination.

This project aims to identify and validate scientifically informed feeding strategies that promote early rumen development in dairy and dairy-cross calves. The objective is to reduce stress, enhance growth performance, and support evidence-based best practices. Findings will also contribute to future updates of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Veal Cattle. Key outcomes include a comprehensive literature review, an on-farm research trial, and the development of nutritional protocols that incorporate fibre as a critical component of early calf diets.

Scope of Work

• Conduct a literature review of North American feeding programs for dairy and dairy-cross calves entering the grain-fed veal and/or dairy-beef sectors, with a focus on how grain and fibre are introduced—including timing, method, and quantity.
• Design and implement an on-farm trial involving a statistically significant number of calves to evaluate the impact of fibre inclusion on rumen development and calf performance.
• Where appropriate and ethically approved, include scheduled rumen examinations through post-mortem analysis at defined intervals to assess physical rumen development and validate the effects of feeding strategies.
• Include milk replacer type and feeding rate as variables in the trial design to assess their influence on rumen development and weaning outcomes.
• Account for breed and sex of calves in the study to evaluate potential differences in response to fibre inclusion.
• Quantify fibre inclusion rates and determine optimal feeding methods and optimal particle length. (e.g., mixed, top-dressed, free choice).
• Evaluate calf health indicators including manure consistency, behaviour, disease incidence, and weaning performance.
• Develop a manure scoring system, complete with photos and descriptions.
• Analyze antibiotic usage across control and treatment groups to determine whether fibre inclusion contributes to a reduction in antimicrobial interventions.
• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the economic impact of fibre inclusion in early calf diets.
• Develop a feeding protocol for early rumen development.
• Publish results in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Deliver a communications package including a presentation at the 2026 Healthy Calf Conference and two articles for The Connection magazine.

Indirect Costs

10%

How to Apply

Submission Guidelines

• Proposals are due by September 30, 2025.
• Submit proposals via email to Kendra Keels at kkeels@vealfarmers.ca [2].
• Proposals must be submitted in PDF format, using 11-point font, and should not exceed 10 pages (excluding appendices).
• Proposals must include:
  • Project overview and objectives
  • Detailed methodology and timeline
  • Budget and justification
    • Provide a detailed budget breakdown.
      • Does this budget include overhead charges?
  • Will the applicant plan to seek other leveraged funding? If yes, will this impact the project start date?
  • Please indicate if there is current capacity to start the project in a timely manner.
• Team qualifications and roles
• References or supporting documents (if applicable)
• Potential roadblocks and challenges
  • Applicants should identify potential risks such as variability in calf health, environmental conditions, and data collection challenges.
  • Proposals should include mitigation strategies for each identified risk.

Attachment(s)

Attachment	Size
Veal Farmers of Ontario_Request for Proposal_FINAL 2025.07.31.pdf [3]	294.91 KB