SenseHub Monitoring Technology provides farmers with optimum control of their herd: that’s the view of Co. Roscommon-based farmer and vet, Dáire Markham.
Dáire, who graduated from UCD in 2004, works on the family farm in Ballinlough with his father Gerry and brother Seán, where they’ve run an embryo transfer business – thanks to the success of SenseHub – since 2021.
“One of the main reasons we installed SenseHub is due to the recipient heifer service that we run here on the farm as part of our embryo transfer business.
“We implant embryos into heifers and sell them onto clients when they are 60 days in calf.
“Prior to installing SenseHub, all heat detection was conducted manually and when we first put in the system, I must admit I didn’t trust it fully.
“But after thoroughly analysing the data and the heats that we observed, we found SenseHub to be incredibly reliable,” he said.
SenseHub Dairy Monitoring Technology helps farmers to gain real-time insights into the health and reproductive status of their herd 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
This technology enables remote monitoring of key animal behaviour, including activity and rumination levels, which allows farmers to detect heats, identifies cows that aren’t cycling, and assists in making more informed breeding decisions.
All heat detection on the Markham farm is now conducted through SenseHub, said Dáire.
“The peak heat data that’s provided by SenseHub has allowed us to really maximise our efficiency of putting in embryos and maximising the conception rate by being able to identify the correct window for implanting the embryos.
“Thanks to SenseHub, I would estimate that it has led to a 10 to 12% increase in conception rate with our embryos, and that level of increase is worth quite a lot of money to our business.
“When the heifers enter our unit, they undergo blood testing, mineral supplementation and vaccination and as part of this process, the SenseHub tag is also applied.
“We apply the tag to the ear and it then takes approximately seven days from the application of the tag for it to start feeding data back to ourselves,” he explained.
Three of the major benefits of using SenseHub
1 – Accurate heat detection: “Once you get the system installed, you can trust it. It really does help to increase conception rates. I’ve seen noticeable, measured increases in my embryo transfer success with it, but that transfer success can also be mirrored with a beef farmer performing AI, be it with standard semen or sexed semen.”
2 – Health monitoring: “SenseHub constantly monitors rumination and activity. Any decrease in either of these areas is generally a precursor to some sickness or issue with a particular heifer. Over the last couple of years, when there has been an animal in ill health or if something is brewing, SenseHub picks up on it and then we respond accordingly.”
3- Labour saving: “I’m married with four young kids we have quite a busy household with all the activities that entails and it’s simply not possible to be on the farm 24/7. SenseHub has allowed us to farm with more freedom and the level of labour-saving has proven one of its key selling points. I now rely on SenseHub 100% for heat detection, I know that I can access the SenseHub App anywhere at any time and that in turn has provided me with great peace of mind.”
Just over 10 years ago, Dáire established Vetembryos.ie, which provides a complete bovine embryo service, including embryo flushing, transfer and freezing.
“We also store embryos while offering a worldwide import and export service. And thanks to SenseHub, I can now farm with more freedom and certainty,” he said.
