Dickman and Sons Dairy milk 3,200 Holsteins in Coolidge, Ariz., and has seen incredible improvements in their overall herd health thanks to the CowManager system. In less than a year, the herd death loss has nearly been cut in half. Identifying those subclinical cows early has been invaluable.
Saving a Cow a Week: The Power of Early Detection
Living up to its Promises
What began as a trial in September of 2024, turned into a full installation in May of 2025. Heifers pregnant 200 days through freshening and all cows receive the CowManager eartag. Ben Dickman shared that this allows the farm team to monitor animals during the critical transition period and through lactation.
When asked why Ben decided to invest in a lifetime monitoring system, “We wanted to improve the reproduction in the herd as well as the health aspect. Being able to identify cows before visible signs appear has allowed us to make better, more informed decisions. We can focus our attention on sick cows faster, make decisions sooner, and treat or cull accordingly.
The savings we see in increased beef cow prices due to healthier cows being culled and the lower death loss, pays for the CowManager system. “Our death loss was 3.7%, and now with CowManager it is at 1.9% since we started on the program 10 months ago,” shared Ben.
“We are now saving more than a cow a week! The employees are so excited because they see how early detection really impacts our ability to save these cows. Factored over the year, that is nearly $225,000!” announced Ben. “There is a definite savings realized when CowManager is in my cows’ ears. The system more than pays for itself.”
In addition to the health of the cows, they have found labor efficiency. Cows with health issues are sorted and treated at one time, which allows the farm team to care for identified cows and then move to the next task, instead of treating cows at various times throughout the day.
Ben uses CowManager with the Health, Transition, Nnutrition, and Fertility Modules, as seen on his phone here. The Find My Cow Flash feature has identified a cow to breed. Notice the light in the orange tag in her ear.
CowManager Enhancements
Ben enjoys the fact that CowManager integrates well with his DHI+ and all the relevant cow information is at his fingertips. He was also an early adopter of Find My Cow Flash, as it benefits heat detection, conception rates, and pregnancy rates.
Ahead of the Herd Together
The herd has also been supported by SSMC’s CowManager Sales Acceleration Specialist Dan Curtin, CowManager Specialist Jorge Ramirez, Director of Corporate Accounts Brandon Thesing, Account Manager Vince Weber, and independent A.I. Technician Raul Aceves.
Ben concluded, “We made a great decision! CowManager and the SSMC team stand behind their product with amazing customer support. The product aids in management, but the people, support, and training are vital to the overall package.
Benefits of CowManager
From Calf to Cow
Our lightweight sensor is designed to last a lifetime, offering a seamless and continuous monitoring solution tailored to your specific farm and your cow's life phase.
Save Labor, Time and Costs
No more wasted hours spent walking around, searching for that one cow. Let this tool find her for you.
Artificial Intelligence Algorithm
Our Artificial Intelligence algorithm tailors the calf health alerts to your specific farm, to help you optimize your calf management at every stage of their behavioral development.