Cow Tags Tracking Animal Health

With CowManager ear sensors, they track the herd’s ear temperature, rumination and eating time, activity and behaviour. According to Paul, it’s been a life changer for animal health.

He says: “It’s a real simple app on my phone, on my desktop in the cow shed, or at home. I have alerts come through, like health alerts for sick cows or suspicious cows. You’re picking up something that’s wrong with the cow a lot earlier than you would without the tech. We can intervene a lot earlier.”

It allows the Koopals to reduce the use of antibiotics, which they consider a huge plus.

Paul: “Because we’re picking up sick animals before they’re actually sick, before they know they’re sick, you can make calls on what you’re treating them with. Sometimes it’s just a case of giving them an anti-inflammatory and then they’re back to normal within a day. Whereas if you didn’t have that tech and you didn’t know she was sick until she was sick, you might need to use more antibiotics.”

Better Results Thanks to Tech

Animal health isn’t the only benefit of using the CowManager system. According to Vet Plus vet Kyle Kannan, it’s just scratching the surface.

He says: “There’s also a ton of animal health related to nutrition. Like, how well we feed cows. That has a massive impact on the health of a herd, the health of an individual animal. That information is all coming through as well. And then on top of that, there’s fertility. Which is a key driver of profitability and an integral part of the farm business.”

Paul agrees and shares how the high-tech cow tags have helped him during mating.

“In the cow shed it saves us a lot of time and a lot of labour. Our milkings during mating have become a lot quicker because we’re not having to check tail paint, we’re not having to jump up and check every single cow that comes through.

Because we’re doing AI all the way through our mating, we can use a lot more of the short gestation semen on our herd. The cows that have been given that semen are calving 12 to 13 days earlier, so that’s more days in milk for us on farm. We’re able to actually have more cows in calf as well.”

“And”, he adds, “Because we’ve got CowManager picking up cows that are on heat, we don’t use bulls anymore on farm. That’s been quite a health and safety benefit.”

Unveiling New Data for Vets

Kyle emphasises that cow tag technology isn’t just valuable for farmers – it’s a high-tech treasure chest for vets, too.

“We’re getting information that we’ve never been able to directly measure. You can’t see if your cows are full, or how much they’ve eaten. They look reasonably content, but now we’re getting live data pieces that say, ‘that cow is definitely content’, at a herd level. Now we can jump into our phone and onto our computer screen and actually put some solid information around that.”

Kyle continues: “As vets, we see the more retrospective data that comes through. There was a large scale of information that we just didn’t know, and we weren’t able to collect. An example of that would be between calving and mating.

So, as soon as a cow calves, how fast is she having her first heat? Obviously, we don’t whip tail paint on immediately as soon as they calf, so we don’t know and we don’t measure that as a thing.

Veterinarian Kyle Kannan (left) and dairy farmer Paul Koopal (right).

The first year Paul and Sarah got CowManager, we were able to look at that, and they were actually behind target for what we call the days to first heat; how fast the cows recover from calving. We were able to find a data point that we would never have seen before and then make changes to impact that data point. We managed to improve it.“

He concludes: “At our reviews we’re able to look at the data, have a look at all the different things coming out of it. It’s basically a set of whole brand-new metrics that we’re able to use now in New Zealand that we probably never been able to. It’s quite a cool frontier that we’re currently in.”

Closing the Loop

From a personal side of things, Paul really enjoys the 24/7 aspect of the CowManager cow tags.

“It allows me to get off farm, because I know someone is looking after my cows, through mating, 24/7”, he says.

He elaborates: “I never used to take any time off during mating period and now I’ll literally just come back from a holiday for four days. It’s brilliant, because I know all those cows are still getting their cycling and are still getting picked up by the system.”

Kyle reckons this is just the beginning – as a vet he’s excited about what CowManager will bring to the future of cow monitoring and farm management.

“This isn’t static technology, it’s bloody on the roll. It’s going to be really cool to see what’s coming in the next couple of years. The Milk Sensor is another thing CowManager are rolling in real soon and that’s basically going to close the loop. All the repro stuff that we’re doing is fantastic, but at the end of the day, milk is the product that we want.”

All About Comfort

Trevor milks 210 cows and has been using CowManager since 2022.

“The main reason is I don’t like the idea of putting things around a cow’s neck. And I find that ear tags are easier to put in and out,” Trevor says.

For him, it’s all about keeping things simple and comfortable for the cows — and for himself.

“It’s just more ease of management. We like using it and we will continue to use it. And it wasn’t too expensive, I don’t think. I’m 51 now. As we get older, why not make it a little bit easier for yourself?”

Before buying, he asked around. “I got some feedback from other people who use it (CowManager), and it was exactly the same. Once you put it in, you will never regret it. You think, ‘why didn’t I do this earlier?’”

First Thing in the Morning

Trevor says CowManager is now part of his daily routine.

“I check the system first thing in the morning. What cows are cycling, if there’s any health issues. Whether we need to check a cow for mastitis, which is normally the first instance. It tells you exactly what a cow is doing.”

And here’s the real bonus: you don’t even have to be at the farm to be able to keep an eye on the herd.

“If one of us happens to go away, you can still monitor everything, from wherever you happen to be. Whether it’s overseas, or in Australia. We went on a trip to New Zealand, and we could still tell what was going on back on the farm, which was quite nice.”

For Trevor, that’s been huge. “It’s been a game-changer for me.”

No More Tail Painting

One of the big wins for Trevor has been in reproductive management.

“With CowManager, it was a lot easier to pick up empty cows. Any cows that were still cycling when they shouldn’t have been, they should’ve been all in calf.”

He’s also been able to ditch some of the more time-consuming old-school methods.

“I used to tail paint. And that means touching cows up three times a week with paint – I no longer have to do that, which is good. And I always used to jump up and check each individual cow for heat. Whereas now, I just look at the app.”

The app’s Fertility accuracy has even changed how he uses sexed semen.

“CowManager gives you that optimal time of using sexed semen, and I’ve used that a lot. I always used to AI in the morning only, and now – because of that – I AI morning and night, because I can do it myself.”

Trevor has CowManager linked with Easy Dairy.

“We use the system with Easy Dairy, so there’s a touch screen at the front of the pit, which is all linked to CowManager, as well as our phones. Now I can auto draft or just punch them up into the computer and draft them that way.”

This means less running around and more time doing the important stuff.

A Lifesaver

One of the most valuable features for Trevor is CowManager’s health alerts.

“If there is a cow that’s not doing so well, an alert will come up on my phone, and I find that really, really good. When the health alert comes up, one of the things I always do check is what is the temperature doing? Has she got a stomach-ache, or has she got something else wrong with her?”

And when it comes to mastitis, CowManager’s speed is a lifesaver. “It’s definitely saved us. It picks up mastitis a whole lot earlier.”

Trevor’s pretty clear on where he stands: “Once you put it in, you will never regret it.”

Cow monitoring technology like CowManager isn’t just about making farming easier. It’s about keeping your herd healthier, catching problems before they cost you, and freeing up your time. And in Trevor’s case, it’s also about being able to go on family trips while being able to still keep an eye on the cows. For him, the only regret is not getting the system sooner.

Dairy News Australia

This article was previously published by Dairy News Australia.

Year-Round Demands

Running a mixed feeding operation with multiple calving cycles means this farm needs a system that can perform every day of the year.

It’s a pasture-based system but they feed a lot of grain, batch hay and buy local hay in the area to feed the cows and youngstock. They calf four times a year – in February, May, August and November.

The family relies on shared oversight to stay on top of things, made easier by connected tools and shared data.

“Every milking cow has a sensor – we’re at about 600 now. My brother uses the platform and so does my father; we all keep a close eye on the cows together”, James says.

Boosting Repro and Health

With constant joining and a heavy focus on animal health, they needed a system that would give reliable insights and real-time alerts. CowManager fit the bill.

“We started using the CowManager system 2 years ago. We chose the CowManager sensors for the backup support and because we prefer ear tags over collars.”

Their use of both the Fertility and Health modules allows them to handle reproduction and wellbeing with confidence.

James explains: “The Fertility Module is important because we’re joining all year round, and we just use AI. And the Health Module is important as well for seeing how the cows are eating, and if we have any sick cows.”

He adds: “You get notifications from the app all day so if something happens and it needs your attention; you’ve got all information straight away.”

Integration into existing infrastructure also made the transition seamless.

“CowManager integrates seamlessly with the dairy software. We use Jantec in the dairy and it was as simple as ringing up Jantec to make sure it all works properly. We haven’t had any issues since. The benefit of them being integrated is that all the CowManager alerts go straight into Jantec. So, all of the heat and health alerts automatically come up when we want to draft.”

Less Guesswork

Where before, James and his family were relying on visual methods like stickers, they’ve now gone fully digital—and haven’t looked back.

“One of the biggest benefits has been heat detection. We were using stickers beforehand, but after 2 weeks of using both stickers and CowManager, the stickers disappeared. We just rely on the CowManager system now for heats – it’s more accurate.”

The simplicity and clarity of the system’s data makes day-to-day work easier.

“All the data in the system is easy to find and very easy to understand. You can look up individual cows to find pretty much anything. The reports on the pc are really handy as well. It gives you early indications of how many you’ve got in calf, any suspect aborted cows that you can get rechecked.”

And with the added control of sexed semen timing, they can be more strategic in their decisions.

“We use the Insemination Window to select the right cows for sexed semen. If they’re not in the right window and they’re too early, then we’ll not join them in the morning and wait ‘till the PM to join them.”

Faster Action

Frequent calving can increase the risk of health issues, but CowManager’s alerts are helping them act earlier and faster, according to James.

“The health alerts from CowManager are really good. They pick on rumination and eating and can tell you how the cows are performing. But for sick alerts, the temperature alert is the best. It gives you very quick information on whether a cow is actually sick and needs treating.”

This has been especially valuable during calving, when milk fever can strike suddenly.

“Just because we’re calving so often, the temperature alert from CowManager picks up a lot of cases of milk fever. We can see from the phone straight away if a cow is down and needs treating. You get an alert, and you know which cows to look out for. Whereas before CowManager, we were checking every cow individually to make sure that she wasn’t sick.”

Essential Technology

With constant calving, intensive feed systems, and a large herd, this Victorian farm shows how digital tools like CowManager are not just convenient, but essential.

“The installation was really easy; it only took about 3 or 4 hours. They (WWS Australia) helped set up all the solar routers and routers and get it all connected.”

With the whole family now involved in managing the herd through a single platform, there’s more confidence in every decision.

“I’d recommend CowManager to anyone who asks what system we’re using, or if anyone has any doubts about getting a system. I’d strongly recommend getting CowManager”, James says.

Dairy News Australia

This article was previously published by Dairy News Australia.

Embracing Tech

Running a pasture-based operation across 200 hectares, Brady and his family were looking for a way to streamline herd monitoring; especially when it came to heat detection.

Brady: “We milk 300 cows – mostly Jerseys – and are a 100% pasture-based system on 200 hectares. We started working with CowManager in December 2021. We wanted a heat detection system and had a look at a few others, but CowManager is what we chose.”

Their decision to choose CowManager was based on both the functionality and ease of setup, which made implementing it across the farm a smooth process.

Ease of Use

Modern dairy tech needs to work with the farm’s existing environment. For Brady, the CowManager system did just that—powered entirely by solar.

“The whole farm is networked on a solar setup. It’s been very simple. I think we’ve got 7 solar routers.”

He adds: “Installation of the system was very simple. They (representatives from WWS Australia) came out here and helped us put the sensors in and put the routers up.”

Once the system was in place, it didn’t take long for it to become part of the daily rhythm on the farm. CowManager’s ease of use is a recurring theme for Brady and his dad.

“Working with the system is extremely simple and it’s worked really well”, he says. “Me and my father, we both use the data sharing function, so we’ve both got it and know what’s happening all the time.”

Brady continues: “We find it very easy to read the system. The graphs are very easy to understand and they’re all colour-coded for their activity. It’s good when you’re away from the farm. It’s just made it a lot easier. When I’m not here or my father’s not here, it’s made things a lot simpler.”

Smarter Heat Detection Means Better Joining

CowManager’s heat detection module has helped the Crofts improve the accuracy and timing of joining, especially with all cows submitted to AI. They’re using both the heat and health modules—ensuring year-round visibility into herd performance.

“We use the Fertility Module for heat detection, for our joining. And the Health Module we use all year round, just to keep an eye on the cows’ overall health.”

“Probably the main advantage of the heat detection is getting your cows joined at the right time. And the fertility reports, that’s a good one. So, you can pick up cows that may be cycling odd or not cycling at all.”

“We’ve seen a lot better conception and a lot better first round submission rate, too. Because you can pick up those cows that aren’t quite right and you can get them sorted early. You’re submitting every cow to AI, so it’s been a lot better.”

“We started using sexed semen within the last 2 years with CowManager. And now they’ve got the little timing graph (Insemination Window) on there, which makes it a lot easier to use, too.”

Early Alerts Save Cows

Health monitoring plays just as important a role as fertility on a busy dairy, especially during calving. With CowManager, problems are identified before they become emergencies.

“During calving time, you might get an alert for a cow that’s a bit less active, and you keep an eye on her. She might have milk fever or even an issue. This year we’ve had a couple of LDA’s (displaced abomasum). CowManager picked them up before we did, so it’s done its job there.”

Those early alerts don’t just save cows – they save costs, too.

“If you’ve got a crook cow, you’re picking them up before they really go downhill. So, if you save yourselves a few cows, you’re probably earning back your subscription costs every year. Just on a few cows that you might pick up, might keep in the herd, or a few extra pregnancies; it all adds up.”

Dairy News Australia

This article was previously published by Dairy News Australia.

A World of Data in a Tiny Tag

For Patrick Oostveen, running a dairy operation without wearable technology nowadays just isn’t an option. It was high on his priority list when he took on a second farm.

“When we took this (farm) on, it was one of the first things to do: put a wearable in. Because I can’t be at two places at once, it’s impossible. To just really take the pressure off at those key times, like during mating.”

The choice for an ear tag was an easy one.

“I really like the ear tag concept – we’ve got it on the other farm as well. There’s no collars, no cows getting hung up on stuff, there’s no banging in the shed. It’s just easy to slam a tag in when you tag the heifers.”

Getting started was a piece of cake, he says. “Installation was a piece of cake, really. Like with the heifers; you’ve gotta tag the heifers. They’ve got a copper bullet at the same time, got the yellow tag as well. And then we just put in the CowManager in.”

They haven’t looked back since. The whole team relies on the ear tag system every day. “It’s different. It’s just remarkable they can fit a collar-worth of technology into something this tiny. It’s innovative, and it works.”

One Step Ahead of Health Issues

Patrick and his team have a fixed way of working, greatly depending on what the system tells them.

“From day to day, I get up for milking in the morning and have a flick through the app, see if anything has come up over the night. We have some drafts scheduled for the team to investigate, check on sick cows and if they’ve got a procedure to follow through. We check for mastitis, does she look good, maybe give a bolus, what category of sickness they are.”

They monitor the health, fertility, nutrition and transition period of the herd with CowManager. Which, according to Patrick, is very simple to do.

“You look up a graph of when a cow calves; what was her rumination before and after? Way easy to see with CowManager. And just the sensitivity of the health alerts. Normally, with the temperature alert or a very sick cow alert, there will be something going on.”

He’s particularly pleased with the Health Module. Not only does the module monitor activity, eating and rumination time, it also monitors ear temperature. Which makes all the difference.

“It’s just really remarkable technology. From ear movements they know like all the chewing and that sort of stuff. When a cow is sick and the system alerts you, you’re like ‘what’s going on’. Picking up those temperature alerts if she’s got a bad case of mastitis or something metabolic – the ear blood flow changes. If that happens, I know she’s crook.”

Saying Goodbye to Old Habits

“Initially I thought I would do the tail painting as well,” Patrick says. “But then I thought if you do it, you just have to trust the process and make sure you do your checks and stuff, and go full in.”

Tail painting is something of the past now, as is being stressed all the time about being at two places at once – which is impossible. Thanks to the system, Patrick and his team can keep an eye on both farms and the entire herd, wherever and whenever.

“If we didn’t have the cow wearables, we’d have to be at two places at once, which isn’t possible. Another option would be if I pick up cows from one shed in the morning and the other one at night. So I’d just be in the shed all day. I’ve got a couple of kids now too, so got all the family stuff to do. It frees you up.”

Monitoring Holstein and Jersey Dairy Cows

Lachlan manages the family’s Katandra Park Stud, a 50% Holstein, 50% Jersey dairy cow operation. They milk 140 cows at Brunswick Junction in south-west Western Australia.

Lachy is the fourth generation of his family to dairy farm, currently leasing a farm which includes a 220-acre milking platform and another 300 acres for youngstock and cropping. Around 60% of the property can be irrigated, usually from October to April each year.

For the past 18 months Lachlan has been running the Fertility and Health modules of the CowManager system. Although they don’t calve all year round, they do have an extended calving period from August to April, which suits the farm’s needs.

“Cows and the breeding side of things has been my passion from a very young age, so naturally you always take a greater interest in this side of the business”, Lachy explains.

No More Wasting Semen

The Fertility Module is known for never missing a heat and picking up on important moments of a cow’s cycle. Lachlan says using the system has been highly effective.

”I strongly believe getting cows pregnant is one of the most important things on any dairy farm and CowManager has really contributed to those one percenter’s that really add up. It’s been so beneficial to be able to pick up on non-cycling cows, cystic cows and general health issues before we do. And there’s the overnight heats you might just miss too. CowManager picks them all up.”

Lachlan is convinced that getting that precise window for AI has meant far less semen wastage, which is especially critical when using expensive sexed semen.

“It takes a bit of time to trust that the system is getting the timing right, but now I am confident in the system; in fact, we probably won’t pregnancy test in the future. It gives you the confidence to invest in good semen because you know you’re breeding the right cows at the right time.”

They now use no other methods of heat detection, relying entirely on CowManager to set the optimal timing for joining.

Detecting Health Issues Early

They’re also tracking the dairy cows’ health with CowManager. The Health Module allows them to pick up illnesses before clinical signs are detectable by the naked eye. This helps Lachlan and his staff run the farm in a proactive manner.

Lachlan explains: “I’ll often get a health alert that something suspicious is going on with a cow and I can check its rumination activity. If I’m not there I can get staff to check, often well before they have seen anything. I can get them to check a certain cow as soon as they come in in the morning. It’s just great reassurance and CowManager is very rarely wrong.”

Early alert notifications on a dairy cow can mean getting treatments started earlier and reduce the severity of the impact of a health issue. The dairy cow recovers quicker, and she is back in production sooner.

A New Sense of Freedom

The system hasn’t just given Lachlan a grip on his dairy cows, it’s given him a sense of freedom.

“Installing CowManager has given me greater freedom to be away from the farm and still be completely aware of what the cows are up too, their activity levels and breeding status – all from my iPhone.”

“It’s the accumulation of lots of little things that make CowManager so valuable”, Lachlan says.

“The information available on the system is very powerful. You really know what’s going on with your cows. I think without this kind of system in today’s dairy business environment, you’re behind the eight ball.”

Dairy News Australia

This article was written by Richard Meredith and previously published by Dairy News Australia.

Ear Sensors: A No-Brainer

Choosing CowManager’s ear sensor system was a ‘no-brainer’ for Cameron, who had been through the full round of visual heat detection systems; putting stickers on cows in a herringbone, which posed occupational health and safety risks for staff. It also meant they had to work with fixed time systems, which didn’t really add up with a small herd.

“I liked the ease of the ear tags but one of the clinchers for choosing CowManager was that Paul (Quinlan, from World Wide Sires Australia) got a personalised quote through to us in just four hours.”

That meant they were able to apply immediately for a government digital technology grant which paid for around 50 percent of the installation cost of the CowManager system. For the family, this made all the difference.

“The grants go out the door pretty fast, so Paul’s quick response made it possible for us to get an application in and receive the grant.”

Keeping Dairy Cows Healthy

Since using the CowManager system, the Bawdens have relied on the Health Module to keep their dairy cows healthy, and have let the Fertility Module guide them through reproduction. They’re well aware of the other modules and extra functionalities, but haven’t had a chance to try them out yet.

“If anything, I would say we are probably not using CowManager to its full potential yet, but we are definitely getting good value for our dairy cows and for ourselves.”

Paul and Cameron installed the ear tags and set up the solar routers around the farm. The system integrates easily with their management system, EasyDairy. One of the benefits of the integration between CowManager and EasyDairy is that there is only one set of data to be input and this is updated once a day.

“CowManager links in very easily for small herds with little automation”, Cameron says. The Bawdens use CowManager mainly for heat detection and cow health alerts.

“I learned very early on to believe the health alerts”, Cameron tells. “At first, when a cow went down, CowManager sent an alert, and I did not act quickly enough. But now, if we’re away, it’s all on the iPhone. If we get a health alert on a cow, we can advise the worker which cow to check.”

He continues: “If we suspect a health problem ourselves, we can check the cow’s health and its rumination in the CowManager system to confirm.”

Saving Time and Money on Repro

Heat detection has also become more precise using CowManager and once again, the system can be used to meet their lifestyle choice, as well as improving in-calf rates and making savings on semen.

Since installing CowManager, Cameron says they have halved their semen use. The system tells them exactly when to inseminate, which saves the family a lot of time and product.

“One of the advantages with CowManager is that it gives us optimum timing for joining. This is critical when we’re using sexed semen. In other situations, I can decide whether to use conventional or sexed if I know I’m going to be at basketball. That way, we can work the joining around our lifestyle and optimise our chance of a pregnancy.”

Although he has not ‘crunched the numbers’ on CowManager, Cameron knows they are getting cows in calf quicker. This is because he can look on his phone, check the cow and mate her at the optimum time, ensuring more successful pregnancies.

Enjoying More Family Time

One big benefit for the Bawdens is being able to always keep an eye on their dairy cows with CowManager, while enjoying time off.

The Bawdens are a ‘sports mad’ family and love going to sporting events. Getting the CowManager system means they’re now able to enjoy their sporting commitments without compromising the success of their dairy business.

Their two daughters, now 10 and 12, play basketball in Gippsland, Melbourne and in other country regions. It’s not unusual for them to play or train every night of the week and on weekends. Ainsley, the older of the two, is now in the state development program and Cameron also coaches, having been a talented junior basketballer.

“We have one full time and one part time employee,” Cameron says. “The full timer milks in the evenings and that allows us to go to basketball with the kids.”

He continues: “We both enjoy being with the kids and watching them play. CowManager has allowed us to be on the go with the kids five nights a week, and on weekends, when we do a lot of travelling.”

Dairy News Australia

This article was written by Richard Meredith and previously published by Dairy News Australia.

Problem-Solving On Farm

Andre Meier doesn’t just do dairy farming as a job. It’s a passion of his. He and his wife love a good challenge and when they’re not on-farm, they can often be found outdoors enjoying nature and outdoor activities.

“I love the outdoors. I love challenges and problem-solving; it’s kind of my forte, I guess. Dairy farming is always throwing a challenge at you. You’re dealing with animals and you can really see the rewards once you achieve something. You get to reap the rewards for your hard work, which is another thing I love.”

Using the CowManager system has made some of the daily challenges at Cameron Dairy Farms a bit easier to handle. Andre and Natalie didn’t have to think long before deciding to go with the ear sensor cow monitoring system. “We thought ‘stuff it, we’ll jump in’, because we could justify the costs and see the capital gain across both farms. So we decided to sign up both farms straight away.”

Thanks to CowManager, they’re able to virtually keep an eye on both places at the same time and check in on their herd and staff. They’ve been using the system since 2022 and are monitoring herd health as well as cow fertility.

“Having 2 dairy platforms 20 minutes apart, I can’t be at both at the same time,” Andre says. “But I can look at both and monitor both with a click of a button and see exactly what’s happening. From how many cows are on heat that day, to their rumination, to their eating, to how many cows that could possibly be sick.”

More Efficient Mating

A key factor for Andre in choosing a monitoring system was making mating season a bit easier on the staff, while still getting the best results possible.

“I wanted something that would ensure that mating was done correctly and it didn’t matter what skilled staff I had. So, if I had a junior staff on, they would have the ability of running the cow shed in the morning and have the correct cows drafted out after milking.”

And that’s exactly what the system has helped with.

“The staff aren’t burnt out anymore from doing pre-mating heats. Before they even start mating we used to do a very rigorous pre-mating heat. But then I’d find the staff were over-mating before mating had even started, because I’d just pretty much done a full mating without inseminating cows, identifying the heats every day. With CowManager, it’s a click of the button and you’ve got all your reports there.”

“Time and efficiency are big factors. I could be doing a lot more productive things that are making a hell of a lot more money per hour than painting cows and having to be out in the paddock five times a day checking the cows. CowManager has just made it all more time efficient.”

Getting Back On Track

“The system is really good at giving you information but unless you act on it, you’re not going to benefit from it as well. Before we were on a vicious downward spiral and it’s only going to go up from now. We’re on the right path, we’re heading in the right direction. So, we’re extremely diligent at looking at the app and taking note of notifications and questioning staff on what they’ve done with the data.”

He adds: “We’re extremely lucky we’ve got good staff. If you don’t have that team culture it can turn pretty challenging at times. We’re very lucky to have good teams working for us. They’ve really adopted our values, so that’s awesome.”

Before using CowManager, the staff used to get burnt-out from mating, even before mating season had started. The pre-mating heats would cause a massive workload.

Andre explains: “Before mating even started we used to do a very rigorous pre-mating heat. But then I’d find the staff were over-mating before mating had even started, because we’d just pretty much done a full mating without inseminating cows, identifying the heats every day. With CowManager, it’s a click of the button and you’ve got all your reports there.”

Trusting the System

The system has made it easier to keep track of the herd, have more time efficient workdays, and have that sense of safety when it comes to any challenges that might be thrown at you, even when you’re away.

“For example, if the manager on the farm doesn’t adequately feed the cows that day, CowManager will alert me within a couple of them being in that paddock. Like, ‘hey, these girls are searching for food more than they were yesterday’.”

The data CowManager gives is actionable and allows users to be hands-on at the right moments. And when Andre and Natalie do have questions, the local CowManager Support Team in Morrinsville is just a call away.

“Hearing some of the stories that I’ve heard from other companies that have got different wearables, I feel extremely well supported by CowManager”, Andre says. “I really trust the system, it doesn’t lie to me.”

Taking Action

Paul and Sarah Koopal aren’t the type to shy away from challenges. As third-generation farmers on their property in the Central Plateau, they’ve always encouraged their team to get involved in the NZDIA. But in 2023, they decided to take it to the next level and entered the competition themselves in the Sharemilker of the Year category.

That decision paid off big time. The Koopals won their regional competition, went on to compete at the national level, and ended up coming in third place overall. But the real game-changer came during the interview process, when they were awarded the CowManager Experience — a prize that includes free installation of CowManager on their farm for three years. With this system in place, Paul and Sarah now have access to powerful data about their herd’s health, nutrition, and fertility—tools that will help them fine-tune their operations for better results.

Seeing Results

Since installing CowManager in June, they’ve already started seeing some fantastic benefits. The system’s early illness alerts have helped them catch sick cows quickly, allowing them to take action before any major issues develop. Their six-week in-calf results are looking strong, and now they’re focusing on optimising the cows’ transition period to maximise productivity and minimise stress, especially during the mating season.

“Paul and I both have different strengths which really complement our business”, Sarah says. “I work full-time, people and culture is one of my strengths. I love looking after our farm team. Paul his strengths are animals and grass-based farming. We work really well together as a team because we’ve got different strengths.”

She continues: “We’re so excited about the potential we have now, not just from our experience with the NZDIA, but from winning CowManager. It’s giving us more flexibility during mating time, something we’ve never had before. We’re even considering taking on a second job to explore new career options. It’s giving us more freedom and choices than we’ve ever had.”

Boosting Farms Together

For farmers looking to improve their operations, both the NZDIA and CowManager offer fantastic opportunities. The NZDIA isn’t just a competition — it’s an opportunity to take a step back and assess your farming practices. By entering, you get valuable feedback from experienced judges, helping you pinpoint areas for improvement and set new goals.

CowManager gives farmers real-time, actionable data from your herd. With its innovative ear sensor technology, you gain insights into each cow’s health, nutrition, transition and fertility. This empowers farmers to make smarter decisions about herd management, improving productivity and reducing stress on both the cows and your operation. From early illness detection to better mating outcomes and more efficient resource use, CowManager is designed to help you optimise your farm like never before.

“It’s an amazing option for us and this farm to get the system and expertise that CowManager has to offer”, Paul says. “We’re currently monitoring transition and animal health. We’ve picked up some cows that looked fine but that CowManager was alerting. We were able to intervene early because of that, and they bounced back a lot quicker than they would have otherwise.”

Detecting Health Issues Early

Since installing CowManager 18 months ago, Ben estimates early detection of health issues has been one of the standout benefits of the system.

“CowManager detects health issues before they become critical, and we can pull cows out before they go downhill. We saved more than a dozen cows with displaced abomasum or potential pneumonia in the first year.”

He estimates that if CowManager detected just five to six cows with emerging health issues every year, it would well and truly cover the cost of the annual subscription. Their vet also uses the CowManager system to track the cows’ eating habits and to detect any crashes that point to a potential health concern.

“Once the CowManager ear sensors are installed, we pay an annual subscription which covers maintenance of the system and the replacement of any ear sensors that stop working”, Ben says. “There is no outlay for replacing equipment 5-10 years down the track. The system has a lifetime warranty on malfunction gear.”

More Pregnant Cows

Ben sees CowManager as another pair of eyes for heat detection. They still use stickers for visual observation of heats, but also check CowManager to make sure.

“We’re calving 700 cows in two months. We need to optimise fertility and quickly identify non-cycling cows within a very short timeframe, so every method of heat detection has value for us right now.”

With a current empty rate of less than seven percent, Ben estimates there has been a small improve there. The big improvement came with more early pregnant cows and the accuracy of heat detection using CowManager, which is significant in a herd of this size.

“More cows in calf in the first cycle means more days in milk, which again is another way we are seeing value for money in the system.”

They run both the CowManager Fertility Module and the Health Module. The herd is made up largely of New Zealand LIC Friesians that average 580 kg MS and are well suited to the hilly terrain of the farm.

“For us it’s about improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our dairy production system. We only need to milk four more cows a year to cover the cost of the annual subscription.”

Monitoring Remotely

Additional benefits of the CowManager system include the ability to monitor individual cows remotely. Ben and Kristy live off farm, a few kilometres away, so the ability to check the cows gives them peace of mind. The alerts that come in point them to cows that need to be followed up the next day.

Ben is also planning to use the Fertility Insights functionality for cycling and non-cycling cows to compact the calving timeframe.

“We’re also looking at the data the system produces to understand better and to compare the algorithm with what we observe is happening to the cow. This should enable us to continue to refine our system and improve efficiencies.”

Based on performance to date, Ben estimates the system will have paid for itself within five years through preventative milk loss.

“After five years, we will pay the subscription only, we don’t have to buy new equipment, it’s all covered under the lifetime warranty CowManager offer with the ear sensors that stop working, which are replaced free of charge. I reckon it’s one of the best, most cost effective and effective systems available.”

Dairy News Australia

This article was written by Richard Meredith and also published by Dairy News Australia.