Dairy Wearables Gain Value Through Integration with MINDA System

From activity monitoring to health alerts, technology is giving farmers earlier signals about what’s happening in their herd.

Wearables provide valuable insights for farmers, and even more value can be unlocked when that information links back to the rest of a farm’s animal records.

That’s where herd management systems like MINDA come in.

Used by around 90% of New Zealand dairy farmers, MINDA acts as a central hub for herd information. Each year, more than 40 million animal events are recorded in MINDA, from calvings and matings through to herd testing and treatments.

LIC’s head of farm software, Blair Smith, says the goal is making sure the growing volume of farm data works together in a way that’s useful for farmers.

“Wearables are generating more data than ever before. The important thing is making sure that information links back to the farmer’s herd records so they can use it to make decisions.”

Turning wearable data into action

Smith says integrations allow wearable alerts to flow directly into MINDA and appear in tools such as MINDA Groups to help farmers manage and sort animals.

“Heat alerts help identify animals that may be ready for mating, while health alerts can flag animals that may need attention. From there, farmers can act on that information by drafting animals to be mated or seen by a vet and recording those events directly in MINDA.”

Integrations also make it easier to set up new on-farm technology. Animal identification information already stored in MINDA can be shared with other systems, helping wearable providers identify animals and link alerts back to the right cow.

As well as wearables, ear tags and boluses, MINDA also integrates with in shed tech providers, farm management systems and milk processors, giving farmers more insight than ever before.

Connecting tools on farm

MINDA currently integrates with 16 agritech companies, with more currently underway. More than half of the herds using MINDA are already using at least one of those integrations.

Smith says it’s important to realise that control of what information is shared always sits with the farmer.

“Nothing gets shared unless the farmer says yes. They decide which companies their data goes to.”

“MINDA has always been about helping farmers improve their herd. Today that means supporting farmers to confidently adopt and apply new technology and helping them turn the resulting data into better on-farm decisions and ultimately better cows.”