One Story, Many Farms

No matter where a farm is located, cost is always part of the conversation. In Ireland, dairy farmer Sean Corby put it plainly: “Like all farmers, I’d like tools to be cheaper – but CowManager is a fantastic product and working very well here so far.”

That balance between investment and results is familiar everywhere. Farmers weigh every decision carefully, and value becomes clear only when a system proves itself over time.

For Canadian farmer Lynn Moore, that proof came through years of use. “I believe I’ve had CowManager since 2015 and I couldn’t be happier. It’s an excellent product; keep it up!”

Sticking with a system for nearly a decade isn’t about features on paper. It’s about consistency, trust, and knowing the system supports better decisions year after year.

From Tool to Partnership

With the right results and support, a tool becomes a partnership.

For many farmers, confidence in technology grows step by step. In the United States, farmer Ryan Carbaugh from Waterside Farm described how results in one part of the operation led to broader adoption.

“I enjoy CowManager. It really works. We started using it on our heifers and had instant success: heifers bred on first and second services. We’re now experimenting with it in our tie stall barn and pasture setup. Seeing those results made me jump in.”

That’s how technology earns its place on a farm. Not through promises, but by delivering results where it matters most.

For others, the value goes beyond performance alone. Catching issues early can make the difference between a small intervention and a serious setback – for both cows and farmers.

In Germany, animal welfare is a top priority for farmer Uwe Petzold: “We’re very satisfied. From an animal welfare point of view, I think the system should be mandatory. We were able to treat cows before major problems occurred.”

Why These Stories Matter

Real experiences – positive, critical, and practical – help set realistic expectations and support better decisions on-farm.

As this new year gets underway, these voices reflect what dairy farming truly looks like: constant decisions, tight margins, and a clear focus on tools and services that help keep cows healthier and farms running more efficiently.

A Decade of Growth and Success

Since tagging our first cow in New Zealand in 2014, CowManager has steadily grown to support hundreds of forward-thinking farms across the country. Over the past 10 years, our presence has built a solid foundation, and now, with a direct presence in New Zealand, CowManager is accelerating its efforts and continuing to help farmers thrive with enhanced support and capabilities.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth and success over the years, and now it’s time to take the next step,” says Jared Bekhuis, Managing Director of CowManager NZ.

“By adding specialists and establishing our direct presence in New Zealand, we’re enhancing our capabilities to deliver faster, more expert service exactly where it’s needed. At the same time, we are expanding our portfolio with exciting innovations like Draft my Cow, the Youngstock Monitor, and Find my Cow Flash. These new solutions will provide our farmers with even more powerful tools to optimize their operations and improve herd management. And we’re just getting started-keep an eye out for even more cutting-edge advancements that will further transform the way we support our farmers.”

This transition opens an exciting new chapter for CowManager. With more resources and local expertise, we’re better positioned to offer tailored solutions and increased responsiveness, helping farmers achieve even greater success with our innovative solutions.

“New Zealand’s dairy sector is world-renowned for its excellence,” Bekhuis adds. “We’re proud to contribute to its ongoing success and invest in the future of every farmer we serve.”

What This Means for You

The contracts between CowManager and our valued customers will remain unchanged. Your terms, support, and service remain intact, with no alterations to your agreement.

• All current dealer employees will continue with CowManager NZ, along with additional new team members to enhance our support network.
• Our new office will be located at 3/137 Ossie James Drive, Hamilton Airport.
• You can reach us at our new office phone number: 0800 – 770566 or support@cowmanager.com per Saturday, August 16.
• We’ll be providing new contact details for your respective contact people, including support staff. They will be in touch soon to share their updated contact information, ensuring a smooth transition.

Looking Ahead

With a stronger local presence, CowManager NZ will work even harder to deliver the best possible experience for our farmers. As always, we are here to ensure that you’re well-supported and prepared for whatever comes next in your dairy operation.

We look forward to continuing our journey together and working with you to achieve even greater success.

About CowManager

At CowManager, we are committed to providing dairy farmers with the tools they need to succeed. Our revolutionary cow monitoring ear sensors help farmers stay ahead with actionable insights on herd health, nutrition, fertility, and more. Whether you have 20 or 125,000 cows, CowManager ensures that farmers always have eyes on their herd.

Our promises to you:

A partnership with CowManager is more than just business; it’s a partnership. Just like in a marriage, we stand by our farmers day and night. Consider CowManager your dairy farming partner for life.

• Just like in a marriage, where trust and understanding are key, our ear sensors ensure you’re always in tune with your herd.
• We’re your friend in the field. From tech-savvy solutions to good old-fashioned local advice. Whether you’re tackling tough seasons or celebrating improved results. We’re here for you, 24/7. With local support always at your fingertips, we’re committed to making your farm management as smooth as possible.
• Our lifetime warranty is more than a promise. It’s a commitment to your success. We’re by your side, every step of the way to build a long lasting partnership. Ready to invest in your future dairy cow management?
• We’re all ears. Your needs shape our solutions. Building relationships comes first, so we can keep developing products you actually need. We launch bi-weekly updates, based on your suggestions and feedback. From new system features to local support and personalised advice, we’ve got your back.
• With seamless integration with herd management systems worldwide, you’ll never have to worry about duplicate entries or edits.
• We help you optimise your dairy operations, boost on-farm efficiency, and make sure your herd thrives. And it’s because of your cows’ data and feedback from the field that we’re able to continuously improve. Together, we can do better!

We’re here to build a partnership that lasts. Ready to partner up?

Clear

The innovative system converts the collected cow data into clear graphs and alerts that are immediately available in a single overview. The dashboard also integrates our updated ‘insemination moment’, which displays the expected optimal insemination moment of the cow.

Customization

You can create a personalised overview using the drag-and-drop option. This allows you to put together your personal home screen, so it perfectly suits your priorities and working method. Moreover, this customised screen can be set as the default home page.

Trial Period

We offer a convenient option for inactive modules: To try out a different module, you can request a free trial period with just a single click.

More Information

• For information or questions about the dashboard, please send an email to support@cowmanager.com.
• Or check out more information on our Knowledge Base.

From Tradition to Technology

When it comes to cow monitoring systems, the decision-making can be daunting. Options are endless and methods vary. We’ve got rumen boluses, leg sensors, collars, ear sensors, among many others. All claiming to be most effective, most of them using the same core parameters for measuring herd health and fertility: Behaviour, (in)activity, rumination time and eating time. One of the more unique parameters that sets cow monitoring solutions apart in terms of around the clock monitoring, group comparisons and cow health seems to be ear temperature, obviously only used in ear sensors. Which leads to the question: What is the added value of measuring a cow’s ear temperature? Does it really make a difference?

Let’s take a step back first and look at what traditions led to that technology. Because even the most innovative farming technology ideas stem from so-called ‘old farmer’s wisdom’. For instance, herd managers used to have to keep an eye on cows’ visual behavioral indicators for hours a day to see if she was displaying signs of heat behaviour.

As for ear temperature, back in the day, whenever dairy farmers wanted to make sure a cow was feeling well, they would feel her ears to check for a change in temperature. Having to physically be among your herd nearly 24/7 to be able to tell if something is the matter or to spot a window of opportunity, is something we can’t imagine nowadays. And it’s something we can’t afford to do anymore, with the number of livestock and production increasing in most Western countries over the past decades[1], while number of staff members are declining due to labour issues.

Effective Diagnostic Tool

Iowa State University in the United States also wondered if ear temperature would really make a difference. They did a peer reviewed study on monitoring behaviour as well as temperature, in 2017[2]. In their study, they focused on cow data collected by an ear sensor system at the ISU Dairy.

Ear temperature is not comparable to core temperature, as ear temperature experiences daily variation based on external temperatures. In winter, ear temperature never reaches freezing and during summer hot weather, never goes above 95-98 °F / 35-36,67 °C. Because of this, one outstanding benefit and aspect of ear temperature monitoring is that an individual animal is tracked and graphed simultaneously with the group ear temperature average. This allows dairy farmers and staff to compare one cow to the herd’s average.

Whenever a cow gets an infection, the blood in the ears moves to vital organs. When tracking ear temperature, you catch this change early on, potentially saving yourself and the monitored cow a lot of problems further down the road. Being able to measure ear temperature on group level, combined with measuring deviations in behaviour, is one of the most effective ways to catch heat stress early. Ear temperature as an added parameter allows farmers to assess their heat abatement strategy in a more effective way as well as spot lesser performing cows in the herd, therefore adding significant value to their herd management.

According to the study, the evidence of ear hypothermia is an effective diagnostic tool for significant health events. Or, as they cite in their research findings; a ‘problem indicator’.

Anticipating Cows’ Needs

Jeffrey S. Stevenson, a professor at the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, specialises in the reproduction physiology of the bovine. In one of his latest articles[3], he studied the added value of ear temperature in cow monitoring. He states that late gestational ear-surface temperatures were associated with some postpartum health disorders and modifications in daily eating, ruminating, and active times during the transition period of gravid heifers and dry cows.

In other words: Including ear temperature as one of the parameters in cow monitoring technology provides dairy farmers, AI specialists, veterinarians, and nutritionists with even more precise herd information. It’s not only an early indicator for several health issues, but also a tool to monitor recovery. It’s an added layer of real-time cow monitoring and a valuable indicator for making fact-based improvements to your herd management, helping dairy professionals to recognise potential issues or opportunities before they’re observable by the human eye.

Sources

• [1] Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2022) – “Farm Size and Productivity”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/farm-size’ [Online Resource]
• [2] Corujo, G. & Timms, L. L., (2017) “Uses of an Ear Tag Based Behavioral and Temperature Monitoring System (Cow ManagerR) at the ISU Dairy”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-391
• [3] J.S. Stevenson (2022) – “Late-gestation ear-surface temperatures and subsequent postpartum health, activity, milk yield, and reproductive performance of dairy cows”. Published online at sciencedirect.com. Retrieved from: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.01.022‘ [Online Resource]

CowManager’s Area Marketing Manager Thijs Griffioen with NZDIA’s General Manager Robin Congdon at 2023 Fieldays.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, with a rich history spanning 34 years, is a renowned program that drives best practices and fosters advancements in the dairy industry. It features over 60 events, engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including dairy farmers, rural professionals, rural businesses, and the wider rural communities, with over 6,000 participants.

CowManager is a revolutionary ear sensor cow monitoring system, active in over 40 countries and committed to give farmers as well as their herds the best life possible. It’s the only cow monitoring system to successfully measure ear temperature combined with behaviour along with measurements of activity, rumination and eating time. Giving farmers actionable insights on the fertility, health, and nutrition of their cows so they can run their business proactively, rather than reactively. In New Zealand, CowManager is distributed and supported by CowManager NZ.

Doing Better Together

New Zealand holds immense significance as one of the most important markets for CowManager. By teaming up with NZDIA, CowManager aims to strengthen its position within the New Zealand dairy industry while contributing to its long-term growth and prosperity.

“We are proud and excited to work with NZDIA and combine forces to support the dairy industry and dairy farmers,” says Bernd Spelbos, Commercial Director at CowManager. “We are passionate about making farmers lives easier by providing them with the best and most accurate data to improve and maintain the success and well-being of their herd.”

Robin Congdon, General Manager at NZDIA: “We are thrilled to have CowManager on board. They’re one of the biggest and best players in the field of cow monitoring systems here in NZ and are a preferred supplier to a lot of NZ farmers. We welcome them to the NZDIA National Sponsor family and look forward to working with them to bring new innovations and technology to the New Zealand dairy industry.”

By becoming a national sponsor, CowManager will be an integral part of the exciting and vibrant NZDIA awards program. Together, NZDIA and CowManager can give farmers the opportunity to do even better.

CowManager is built and continuously upgraded on years of knowledge, university research and worldwide on-farm tests.

Griffioen: “Every day we gain experience among the cows in our own company. I regularly walk among the cows and discover what could be improved upon, what information is needed.”

And because of his own farming background, he knows it’s best to not work for farmers, but with them.

“We actively listen to our customers. We have customers (and local representatives) worldwide who actively think along about innovations and test them on-farm.” By now, thousands of farmers across the globe monitor their herds with CowManager’s ear sensors, which results in non-stop valuable cow data and ongoing developments. The key to this success? Ear temperature.

Why Measuring Ear Temperature is Best

In developing a non-invasive system like the ear sensor, Griffioen effectively combined innovative farming technology with so-called old farmer’s wisdom. Back in the day, whenever dairy farmers would doubt if a cow was feeling well, they would first feel her ears to check for a change in temperature.

Cows’ ears are full of vital information which tells us how they’re actually doing. Whenever a cow gets an infection, the blood in the ears moves to vital organs. A crucial sign, which can save you a lot of problems further down the road. CowManager ear sensors monitor cows’ rumination, eating, inactivity, activity, ear temperature and high active behaviour.

The CowManager data graphs show you the ear temperature of the specific cow compared to the average of the total herd. Does a cow have an ear temperature 7°C lower than the herd average, and is there an alert of illness? You’re the first to know. Never miss a heat again, improve your in-calf rates and say goodbye to tail paint and Kamars. On top of that, CowManager cows live longer, produce more milk, are in better shape and perform better.

The Only System with In-Depth Transition Monitoring

CowManager still is the only cow monitoring system out there that is successfully measuring ear temperature combined with other parameters. This combination results in more accurate and earlier alerts. It catches sick cows days before they even show clinical signs of being ill and lets you monitor recovery in detail. It never lets you miss a heat, and makes breeding a breeze, even with sexed semen.

And it makes the transition period – when 75% of all adult cow disease events find their origin – monitorable, recognising underperforming cows up to 50 days before calving, so you can avoid surprises after. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Sharing Data All the Way Back to Install Date

With the MultiView function, which is available on every CowManager system, dairy farmers can easily share important data with veterinarians, staff, herd managers, AI specialists, nutritionists, and researchers. This lets them monitor the herd’s performance as a team, completely changing the way business is done for the better.

CowManager is the only system to give remote access to a cow’s data and history dating all the way back to the install date. It gives you a complete overview of cow data in easy-to-read coloured graphs that allow you to analyse results and progress per cow or group or even season, so you can recognise patterns and opportunities together.

The Future Is in the Ear

Would you like to discuss the benefits of cow monitoring with like-minded people? Get in touch with our local representatives to ask all your questions or to get a personalised quote.

CowManager is frontrunner of in-ear monitoring technology. We are fully independent and unique being four generations dairy farmers ourselves. With our data we coach farmers to make the best decisions for better results. To be a successful farmer, you need to be a prepared farmer. CowManager works together with farmers and their advisors, sharing knowledge to keep making progress. We support farmers to reach their goals, whatever their ambitions are. The new branding resembles this, showing more confidence and the power of progress.

Bernd Spelbos, Commercial Director at CowManager:
“We have been very modest in the past, but in the last 10 years we have proven our in-ear technology works! With this new brand positioning and visual identity, we would like to prepare CowManager for the future and position ourselves as a strong, international and distinctive brand.”

Initial elements of CowManager’s new brand identity include:

A New Logo
CowManager has modernised the logo and made a conscious choice to use bold and capital letters to position ourselves in a powerful way. The icon in the back refers to the sensor signals and it also depicts CowManager’s accuracy and sharpness.

New Pay Off: Ahead of The Herd Together
With the new pay-off – Ahead of the Herd Together – CowManager explains that we are the inventive thriving force. The champion. The expert. We are not alone, we work together at all times, with and for the farmer. We motivate, inform, and enthuse farmers in a light-hearted way. We stay away from complex and technical language, but choose for simplicity and make it understandable for every farmer.

Brand New Brand Colours
In our communication we combine strong bold phrases with pictures of cows, farmers and their ear sensor. The bright red colour emphasises the determination for success, leadership and passion in all we do.

About CowManager
At CowManager, we believe a successful farmer is a prepared farmer. That’s why we ensure you’re always ahead. Prepared for what’s coming. We help you reach your goals, whatever your ambitions are. And whether you have 20 or 20,000 cows; with CowManager you’ll have eyes on all of them.