Dairy success with revolutionary health management system

Early intervention is the key to a achieving dairy success and a healthy herd, and a revolutionary health management system can assist this.

With smaXtec’s game-changing bolus technology, farmers can make proactive decisions that ensure not only the health and performance of their cows but, above all, the long-term success of their dairy farm.

Managing herd health in pasture-based farms

In the world of dairy farming, herd health is crucial for farm success – healthy cows mean higher milk production, better milk quality and a more profitable business.

However, detecting early signs of illness and managing the health of your cows can be challenging, especially on pasture-based farms.

Herd of Friesian cattle grazing beneath the Galtee mountains, Glen of Aherlow, Tipperary, Ireland

Since grazing cows spend most of their time outdoors, they are harder to observe closely.

In this setting, keeping an eye on every cow continuously and always knowing the condition of the entire herd can be demanding – as a result, early signs of illness, reproductive issues, or nutritional imbalances can be easily missed.

Therefore, farmers need a reliable system that not only adapts to the pasture-based environment but also provides precise and actionable insights into a cow’s health.

That’s where smaXtec comes into play, helping farmers catch problems before they become severe: Diseases can be detected early, long before symptoms or changes in feeding and rumination behaviour become evident.

Insights from inside: Early disease detection

smaXtec is a game-changer for dairy farms, transforming the way farmers manage their herds.

Unlike external sensors, which can be easily affected by environmental factors, especially in grazing systems, the unique bolus technology operates from within the cow.

It provides insights from the inside, measuring inner body temperature (±0.01° C accuracy), water intake and drinking cycles as well as rumination based on reticulum contractions and activity.

Thanks to this consistent data, smaXtec spots anomalies long before visual symptoms or changes in feeding and rumination behaviour occur and instantly sends an alert to the farmer’s mobile phone or computer.

Especially, on pasture-based farms, time is a key factor – being able to react immediately is essential. The larger the herd and the more time the cows spend on grassland, the easier initial signs of disease can be left unnoticed.

Many farmers worldwide already count on smaXtec and their success stories testify how the health management system enables early detection of common diseases like mastitis or subclinical milk fever.

One of them is Sean Teehan, who manages a 77-cow herd in Offaly: “When you’re getting an alert for a cow that could be getting milk fever, you’re getting a temperature decrease alert.

“Then we’re able to get calcium into the cow and help her early. With smaXtec, we had no milk fever cases this year.”

This early-stage intervention for diseases such as mastitis, pneumonia and many more, enables milder treatment and drastically reduces the need for antibiotics – smaXtec customers even report a reduction of antibiotic usage of up to 70%.

Stress-free reproduction success

Managing reproduction effectively lays the foundation for a productive dairy herd. Therefore, in addition to health insights, smaXtec provides reliable data on each cow’s oestrus, empowering farmers to optimise reproduction management.

In addition to accurate oestrus detection, the smaXtec system improves the likelihood of successful insemination by identifying the optimal insemination window.

Once a heat notification is sent, the system provides farmers with precise guidance on the best time for insemination.

The continuous monitoring also enables early detection of abortions and fertility issues. This not only enhances herd fertility rates and reproductive figures but also shortens calving intervals, leading to higher milk yields.

One of the standout features of smaXtec for the dairy farmers is its precise calving alerts. John Hatton, who manages 95 cows in Meath, reports:

“The smaXtec system in general will give you an eight hours to 24 hours notice in advance, when a cow is about to calve and it’s phenomenal because you’re not stacking a shed full of cows waiting for a cow to calve.”

This early notification allows better preparation and management, ensuring that the farmer gets the necessary information to provide calving cows the care they need at the right time.