Collar, monitoring tech use on-farm set to climb

She says around 15% of New Zealand’s national milking herd, which numbers about 5 million across 11,000 dairy farms, are fitted with a monitoring device.

Of that number, more than 750 farms are using SenseHub with Allflex collars – making MSD New Zealand the market leader in this area, she says.

“These figures will only continue to grow, as more farmers realise the benefits of having another set of eyes and hands on the farm,” says Calvert.

She says that in tough economic times significant investments on farms, such as monitoring technology, might not be a priority but it is during challenging times that an investment like this pays off well into the future.

“The return on investment on collars, and we know this from our customers, well and truly stacks up.

“The costs being saved by front-footing health issues, for example, saves time and money in the long run and those costs can far outweigh the initial cost of investing in monitoring tech.”

She says detecting heat and monitoring cow health are two of the ways farmers are using collars to their advantage, but that’s just the start of what they are capable of.

“Ultimately, collars and monitoring technology equip us with knowledge, and on-farm, knowledge very much is power.

“By having real-time information to hand we’re able to keep across the health of our cows, such as seeing up-to-date rumination data or other health indicators, and then use that information to act on health issues before they become bigger problems and start affecting outputs.

“We also know that healthy, well-managed livestock are better not just from an animal welfare context, but a sustainability point of view as well.

“Collars and monitoring allow us to make the best use of our resources to have the most efficient farm systems possible.”

“We certainly hear farmers who say ‘oh not another computer I have to worry about’ but we often find they’re quickly swayed when we can show them just how user-friendly and intuitive the software is.

“It’s presented in a way that is straightforward and with useful information that makes sense to farmers’ daily decision making.

“We also invest a lot in our training programme, and our trainers, and they’re with farmers from day one to support them with the system, and for as long as they need afterward.”

Calvert acknowledges there is a perception that monitoring is expensive.

“There is that perception out there, yes. However, I believe we can’t afford not to be doing it.

“Our customers are telling us they’re achieving significant savings in time and money across the board, while collecting a higher payout from increased production, simply from having the knowledge the collars provide and being able to make well-informed decisions in the day-to-day running of their farms.

“As we continue working towards a sustainable future, efficient farming has a key role to play in that.

“That’s why it’s so important to use the knowledge that collars and monitoring technology gives us to create a viable farming practice well into the future.”

Farmer Testimonials

At the National Fieldays this month, three farmers spoke about the impact of cow collars on their businesses.

Kane Brisco contract milks 305 Friesian cows on a 142ha property in Inglewood, Taranaki.

Kane Brisco contract milks 305 Friesian cows on a 142ha property in Inglewood, Taranaki.

Brisco is also known as the founder and director of Farm Fit Ltd, an initiative that inspires farmers to develop both their physical and mental health.

Brisco recently helped his farm owners make the switch to Allflex collars.

His SenseHub Dairy hardware with Allflex collars was operational from November 2022, about 14 days into 2022 mating. His shed became a one-man operation overnight since the collars were fitted and SenseHub began collecting data.

His empty rate lowered, his in-calf rate went up, and crucially, for the first time in 14 years of dairy farming, he could take time off to recharge during mating.

Farm owner Rhys Dary who milks 1100 cows on two properties in Huntly, Waikato has been using collars for three years.

A third-generation farmer, Darby is now into his second mating season on his 450-cow herd, and his third mating on the 650 cow herd.

He was happy with his previous in-calf and empty rates but was looking to gain more data on the performance of his herds and tighten up on farm efficiencies. With collars, he was able to maintain his production while using rumination data to enhance diet and eliminate waste and gain more time and freedom to explore other business avenues.

Waikato contract milker Jeff Peek, Contract Milker opted for SenseHub Dairy and Allflex collars in August 2021 and provided immediate benefits, particularly by reducing pressure on staff at mating time and early detection of health issues in the herd.

The need for an extra labour unit in the shed during mating to pick cows on heat was also eliminated when the collars went on, he says.

His empty rate dropped by 7% in 2022, and the herd’s six week in-calf rate lifted by 10%. Conception rate also rose by 5%, and he now operates a total AI policy with no bulls on the farm.