Reliability, integrity and work ethic are traits every employer values in their employees. But when the number of jobs exceed the number of job seekers, you might have to look past traditional methods. That’s why when dairy producer Brian Boven learned about labor-saving technology that could provide those skills, he hired it.
*Published by Central Star in Newsletter The Point, November 2019, Issue 1.
“Like most farms we are constantly challenged with having enough employees with the right skills,” shares Brian. “When I heard about CowManager and learned what it could do to help with the herd health I was interested.”
Successful fresh cow programs often involve intense scrutiny with fresh cow checks, including BHBA’s, Ketone strips, and more. All of which requires employees to perform the same task 365 days a year, with perfect protocol compliance and a consistent level of effort. That’s a lot to ask.
“You have to have a keen eye to notice a cow isn’t feeling well, and often by the time you see it – it’s too late,” says Brian. “With CowManager we are more proactive with health issues and can get them treated sooner, without relying on someone to notice. CowManager has definitely reduced the time we spend treating cows and ensures compliance for when intervention occurs.”
CowManager is a revolutionary ear sensor technology that provides 24/7 real-time alerts to monitor a herd’s health, fertility, nutrition and location. Based on ear temperature and behavior, the Health Module reliably detects changes in time spent eating or ruminating, allowing early intervention saving money on labor, production losses and treatment costs. CowManager also provides ongoing insight during recovery.
Prior to installing CowManager, the McBain, Michigan dairy performed fresh cow checks on every cow for five days; disrupting animal routine, slowing down parlor efficiency and putting employees at a greater risk of injury. Today fresh cow checks have been eliminated and they simply rely on CowManager.
“We were overtreating fresh cows and spending more in medication than we needed to,” recalls Brian. “Since installing CowManager we’ve reduced our treatment costs by 25 percent, which really adds up and quickly pays for the system.”
Managing herd health with CowManager has changed the way Brian and his employees spend their day with the 680-cow herd. “CowManager has made everyone’s day easier. Whether I’m at the dairy or not, the mobile app tells me if a cow needs attention, and then I can direct someone to go check and take care of her,” says Brian. “We used to run out of time to get the routine work done with the herd, but that’s not the case anymore. CowManager saves us a lot of time.”
The benefits of labor-saving technology on dairies is nothing new. Even if you don’t remember life before automatic takeoffs, robotic milking systems, sexed semen and milk-based diagnostics, you certainly understand their impact on efficiency and profitability. Investment in research, and advancements in technology will continue to provide reliable options that can prove to be the right candidate for farms.
“CowManager has made managing herd health easier for myself and my employees,” says Brian. “It’s lightened our workload, saved us money and is less stressful for the cows. I can’t imagine not having it.”