While breeding season may seem to be long time away, now is the ideal time to consider automated heat detection.
If systems are installed now, well in advance of calving and breeding, it gives farmers time to get used to the system to get the best return once the breeding season starts in earnest.
Censortec CowControl is Ireland’s leading activity monitoring system, and Joe O’Grady and Tom Burgess has been using the system since 2019.
They farm in partnership on the Wicklow/Carlow border and have a somewhat non-traditional story. Tom had been milking 140 cows and making award winning cheese, Coolatin Cheddar, with the herd’s milk for several years.
He was keen to increase his focus on the cheese business, and so, entered a partnership with Joe O’Grady, who was looking for an entry route to dairy farming.
“It was an ideal set up for both of us. When I joined the partnership, we were able to extend the grazing platform and increase cow numbers to 280,” Joe said.
Heat detection
Due to the increase in numbers, and with Tom focusing his attention on the cheese business, they were keen to install labour saving tools, one of which is Censortec CowControl powered by Nedap.
“In the first year of the partnership, Tom still did all the heat detection, we used tail paint, and the cows were checked three times a day, and manually drafted.
“With the increased numbers it was a big task for one man, and hard to do it accurately at those numbers.
“I’m not from a dairy background, so I knew I was going to lack experience for certain jobs on the farm, and this was one of them,” Joe said.
So, to free up time for both men, they began to investigate activity monitors.
“We spoke to Censortec at the Ploughing, and Donagh visited us shortly after. We both felt the reliability of the collars was a big advantage, as well as the fact that the collars are Censortec’s single focus, they don’t have any other irons in the fire, so the level of support is exceptional,” explained J?oe.
Tom and Joe have fully embraced CowControl’s technology, using it to improve their herd’s fertility and health, and to improve their reproductive management.
“Once the collars went on, no one went back to the field to check cows again. The time savings are massive. Both from a point of view of actual time spent watching cows, and the improvements on fertility, it’s saved us so much time,” he added.
Joe finds the Opimum Time of Insemination a valuable tool, along with the way that data is delivered from Nedap Now.
“The information you need is presented really clearly in the app. I can see that the cow is ready for serving, and if she’s suitable for sexed semen.
“Based on the data from Nedap Now, we’ve used more sexed semen this year, and switched to using 100% AI. Stock bulls were always a nuisance and it’s great we don’t need to worry about them anymore,” he explained.
Along with the CowControl collars, Tom and Joe installed an Alfco auto-drafting gate. Alfco’s drafting app integrates with CowControl, meaning all cows that need to be served or given attention will be automatically picked out at the end of each milking, saving time and making life easier.
Health monitoring provides added peace of mind and valuable insights for Joe and Tom, particularly in the dry period.
“We find the health monitoring a great advantage when the cows are dry. When the herd are not passing through the parlour twice a day, it’s a big help to know that CowControl is still watching them and will tell us if there’s any problems.
‘There are tools out there to help you save time, and this is one of them. In my own personal situation, CowControl would have paid for itself in the first year based on the cost of saved family time, and filling a gap in my own knowledge around heat detection.
“There’s never going to be a shortage of work, and the collars allowed me to spend more time with my family,” according to Joe.
Censortec CowControl powered by Nedap is available from Censortec, who are based in Co. Kerry. CowControl is eligible for up to 60% grant aid under TAMS III.
Censortec is the agent for Nedap CowControl in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It has been supplying Nedap SmartTag since 2016 and has a long-established relationship with Nedap. Nedap is based in Groenlo in the Netherlands.
It is the leading supplier of bovine activity monitors globally having over 40 years experience in developing, supporting, and marketing their SmartTag.
To find out more, visit censortec.com. You can also contact the Censortec team at 066-9713000
