Farmer and internet sensation, Philip Stewart, aka ‘Farmer Phil’, has introduced a novel source of calf enrichment on his Longford farm in the form of space hoppers.
Stewart, who runs a 500ac farm comprised of tillage and a dairy-beef system in Killashee, Co. Longford, has become a famous name in agricultural circles both here and abroad after his videos showcasing life on the family farm gained traction online.
In addition to his content creation exploits, a successful agri-contracting business and a farm shop, the 28-year-old and his wife Liv take great pride in growing 100% of the finishing diet for their 250 dairy bull calves, which they rear from nearby dairy farms every year for beef.
Stewart told Agriland that it was his wife Liv who suggested tying space hoppers from the rafters of the sheds as a means of stimulating the calves, after she got the idea from videos shared online by farmers in the US.
Philip Stewart explained: “My wife generally looks after all the calf-rearing and she saw it [the idea]on TikTok. She was buying stuff online and she found cheap space hoppers, so she went and bought them and we put them up in the shed and calves knocked great craic out of them.
“Sometimes you’d see the calves mount them, they’d try and jump on them. Other times you’ll see a calf stand beside one and hit it back and forth with its head for a good 20 minutes.”
Space hoppers
According to Stewart, while the idea is straightforward and relatively inexpensive, the animal welfare return is huge, as the calves have reportedly derived endless enjoyment since the the big red rubber balls were first hung from the rafters two months ago.
“The setup is very simple. It’s quite literally just a blue rope hanging from the rafters of the hay shed with the space hopper tied to the end of it and they’re swinging about 3 or 4ft off the ground,” he added.
While the idea was introduced mostly for novelty reasons, Farmer Phil has noticed a reduction in the rates of navel sucking among the calves, which he believes is a by-product of their increased sense of enrichment derived from the space hoppers.
“The calves have other things to occupy themselves with now so they’re not bored or as inclined to suck each other’s navel, which is a side benefit, but we’ve done it for pure novelty more than anything else.
“It brings a bit of joy when you’re standing in the shed and you see the calves playing away with the space hoppers,” he added.
However, this idea has been reinforced by research, as a study published in the journal Nature on February 2, 2025, has revealed that calves provided with environmental enrichment are more active, playful, and have fewer feeding interruptions.
