17 December 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
This week Tom and Simon Browne of Greenhills Farm in Co Cork who own and run Ireland’s largest farm installed Dairymaster’s multi award winning health and fertility monitoring system – MooMonitor+ on their 1000 cow dairy farm in Co Cork. The breeding season for 2016 has begun and the Browne farm is set to have a bumper year with the help of this cutting edge Dairymaster technology.
Speaking today Dairymaster CEO Dr Edmond Harty said; “This decision by Tom and Simon Browne to install the Dairymaster MooMonitor+ on their farm makes real sense. The Browne’s run not only one of the biggest but one of the most respected dairy farm operations in Ireland. Dairymaster has a long and proud association with the Browne family and Greenhills farm having installed a 60 unit rotary milking parlour in 2000 which was very new thinking at the time. Tom and Simon have always been ahead of the pack when it comes to doing things more efficiently and more profitably. For them the MooMonitor+ is a natural progression.”
The MooMonitor+ is a wireless system worn by the cow which allows farmers to monitor heat, resting, feeding, restlessness, rumination and wellness 24×7. When the system detects a sick cow it sends an immediate notification direct to the farmer’s phone. The advantage of this is that farmers, farm employees, vets, breeders and nutritionists can all have secure up to the minute access to farm information allowing for informed and timely decisions. Rumination data gives the farmer a great indication of animal welfare. The system pushes Animal Behavioural Alerts making a farmer aware when it detects changes in behaviour which may indicate illness. This allows early intervention, reduced antibiotic usage and better recovery rates on the farm. As a result the MooMonitor+ has saved the lives of many cows on farms around the world making an even faster return on investment for farmers.
The multi award winning MooMonitor+ has advanced features such as having the longest range on the market, a battery life of up to 10 years, two-way communication and much more. Using the system couldn’t be easier. The farmer taps his phone against the MooMonitor+ and keys in the cow number and from that moment on that cow is being monitored 24×7. If there is a significant change in the cows behaviour such as when she’s in heat or sick the farmer gets an alert direct to their phone. The added advantage of this is ease of use and less animal handling and stress for both the farmer and the cow. Like all good dairy farmers Tom and Simon know that breeding, fertility and health are critical factors for success on-farm. For them the MooMonitor+ makes real sense. It will quickly save them time, money and hassle.
Speaking today Tom Browne said; “Over the past few days we have fitted our herd with the MooMonitor+. We feel that this technology will more than pay for itself and allow us improve results on the farm. Technology is always changing and improving and the MooMonitor+ gives us more information about all our cows to help us make better decisions. Our association with Dairymaster is long standing and we are proud to see that partnership continue.”
Dr Harty added; “Any dairy farmer will tell you that a vital job on farm is to recognise when a cow is on-heat as missed heats can cost €250 each or more. Research shows that the majority of heats start between 8.00 pm and 6.00 am when the farmer should be asleep. Manual heat detection is time consuming and can have variable accuracy. With the MooMonitor+ the farmer has a consistently reliable system. It can have a big impact quickly on the profitability of a farm. Like the Browne’s more and more farmers are partnering with Dairymaster to install this game changer technology on their farms.”
“Optimising fertility is the number one driver of dairy farm profitability. The average 100 cow farm in Ireland is losing €6,500 on production alone per year due to an extended calving interval and many farms are losing a lot more. There is also huge labour saving and the system can be installed no matter what make of equipment is already on farm. If you want better fertility, healthier cows and more calves then call us now on 1890 500 247 for your free on farm demo”.
