Herd-i Joins NZ Dairy Industry Awards as All-Region Sponsor
Agri-tech company Herd-i has become a new all-region sponsor of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), the largest nationwide celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
Average cow body condition on 36 Canterbury farms was lower in August this year than a year earlier, according to data collected by agritech company Herd-i. Vets will present the findings to farmers at an evening in Dunsandel on Wednesday 25 November.
Christchurch-based Herd-i has gathered more than 428,000 daily body condition scores from nearly 49,000 cows over two seasons. Average daily scores across the farms were 0.17 lower in August 2026 than in August 2025.
The company says the difference may seem small, but it raises the question of whether it affected cow health, reproductive performance and milk production.
On one Canterbury farm, cows that lost more than 0.5 body condition score (BCS) within 30 days of calving had poorer cycling performance at mating.
Veterinarians Krispin Kannan and Richard Stalker analysed the data on behalf of Herd-i. They will present more detail at the event, which will also cover lameness.
Daily Scoring Verus A Snapshot
Herd-i uses cameras and artificial intelligence to score lameness and body condition automatically as cows leave the dairy shed, building a picture of how each cow’s condition changes over time.
Herd-i chief marketing officer James Cummins says only daily scoring can provide this level of detail.
“Traditional body condition scoring gives you a snapshot on the day,” Cummins says. “Daily scores help you pick up condition loss early, track how far a cow drops and follow her response to changes in feeding or management. That information can also help guide drying-off decisions.”
The system is used on about 130 New Zealand farms and scores 119,000 cows daily. Cummins says collecting data at that scale brings a responsibility to help farmers get value from it and to share learnings with the wider industry.
“We want Canterbury farmers to be part of the conversation, bringing their experience alongside vets’ knowledge so everyone can take away practical ideas for recognising changes earlier, knowing when to act and what management changes they can make.”
Panel and Farmer Experience
Kannan and Stalker, who is also a Canterbury dairy farmer, will discuss how the findings can be applied to feeding and herd management to help maintain cow condition through the season.
They will be joined by Canterbury dairy farmer Heine Cronje, who has used Herd-i for four seasons. Over that time, lameness in his herd has trended down and production has risen from 508 to 526kgMS per cow. Cronje believes automatic daily monitoring is a contributing factor, helping his team find lame cows earlier and track condition changes, particularly in younger cows.
Canterbury dairy farmer and How Good’s Dairy podcast host George Dodson will facilitate the discussion.
Herd-i says all data will be anonymised and shared at a regional level, and no individual farm or herd will be identified.
Movember Funding
The evening will also raise funds for Movember, the charity focused on men’s mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
Herd-i Upper South Island sales manager and longtime Movember Community Ambassador Matt McIntyre is bringing hunters together this year to get outdoors, start conversations about men’s health and raise money. His campaign also encourages hunters to donate surplus meat, with Hunters 4 Hope supporting venison donations in Canterbury.
Farmers who donate to Movember on the night will receive an equal-value Herd-i credit towards installation or subscription costs. Farmers who bring a neighbour will go in a draw to win an Icey Tek chilly bin. Offer terms apply.
Event Details
- When: Wednesday 25 November 2026, 6-8pm
- Where: BDI Rugby Football Club, 1456 Tramway Road, Dunsandel
- Who: All Canterbury dairy farmers are welcome. Drinks and nibbles will be provided.
- Register: herd-i.com/canterbury-farmer-stories
