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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.”