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Automation is currently a trending and hot topic across the dairy industry, especially the use of activity monitoring systems.
With several equipment manufacturers creating the initial spark of interest in these systems, more and more dairy producers are beginning to explore options in employing this technology on their farms.
What’s the next step to help smooth the transition and implementation of activity monitors on a larger scale in the U.S.? Although not a new concept, this year marked a noticeable change in how activity systems are marketed in the industry.
Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace – and technology in the dairy industry is no exception. Some is considered “disruptive” technology, defined by Clayton Christensen of Harvard University as a process or product that takes root in simple applications at the bottom of the market and then relentlessly moves “up market,” eventually displacing established competitors.
In fact, many business success stories start with a disruptive technology; cell phones are a good example. One example receiving a lot of attention in the dairy industry is an activity monitor for estrus detection. Could it benefit your breeding program?
Many dairy veterinarians prescribe the use of prostaglandin F2α (PG) in dairy herds to control time to estrus (heat), as part of synchronization programs or for postpartum treatments. There are two primary PG products available in the U.S., dinoprost tromethamine (Lutalyse and generic ProstaMate) and cloprostenol sodium (Estrumate and generic estroPLAN).
These two products are different in chemical structure and have a different half-life. Cloprostenol has a longer half-life than dinoprost, and thus is maintained in circulation for a longer time. But are they different when it comes to performance in the field? We have completed several studies that indicated there were subtle differences. This article will discuss the pros and cons of these two products.
The economics of the dairy industry today continue to squeeze the bottom line of every operation. Naturally, expenses and feed rations have been under tremendous scrutiny by every business manager.
Short of animal abuse, dairy owners are pretty much free to do whatever they want with their own cattle.
That includes checking cows for pregnancy, whether by conventional trans-rectal palpation or ultrasound.
But what about farm employees, consultants and veterinarian technicians? Are they allowed to preg check cows?
“Versatility," "adaptability" and "accessibility” are three words James Bringe, dairy equipment consultant for GEA Farm Technologies, uses to describe his company’s newest activity monitoring system.
In early April, GEA Farm Technologies launched CowScout S, the company’s latest generation of heat detection technology. Unlike other systems, the CowScout S system stores the data that it collects using cloud technology, making it accessible to the producer at any time and anywhere.
When people think of the benefits ultrasound provides in a dairy’s reproductive management, they think of early pregnancy diagnosis. Ultrasound is in fact a great diagnostic tool for finding pregnancies early, but the true benefit to reproduction comes from identifying the open cows sooner.
Skilled ultrasonographers are able to identify the fetus and heartbeat reliably as early as day 26 of gestation. At this early stage of the pregnancy, the fetus and pocket of fluid are very small and requires a more methodical scan to find the fetus or to be secure in calling the cow “open.”
With reproduction costs accounting for a significant portion of the expenditures on a dairy, current trends demonstrate more and more producers looking into solutions to improve their reproductive programs, including the use of activity monitoring systems.
“For years, there was discussion and academic studies that proved the strong correlation between a cow in heat and her movement pattern,” Cecilia Bågenvik, Business Manager for Farm Management Automation at DeLaval International, says.
Two years ago, So-Fine Bovines in Westfield, Wisconsin, replaced Presynch/Ovsynch with automated heat detection as its primary breeding protocol.
Brooks Buchholz, the dairy’s herd manager, says he likes that the new system has cut down on the number of shots he must administer.
With genomics becoming a tool that many producers across the country are using, a new concern is now emerging – increased inbreeding depression. A webinar in early April discussed this topic as well as the launch of a new program designed to help provide a solution to this concern.
After nearly four years of development, Select Sires Inc. launched StrataGEN, a program focused on providing an easy-to-use solution to help producers obtain optimal genetic progression while minimizing inbreeding within their herds.
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