In light of this, dairy farmers are looking at considering the importance of improving efficiencies and the profitability of their dairy farms.
Feed conversion efficiency and early intervention for unwell or underperforming cows are important aspects in ensuring efficient milk production and consistent supply of milk products for Australian households and export markets.
Heat detection along with early detection of sickness and disease in cows via rumination data is key to the successful management of a dairy herd.
This allows dairy farmers to make informed and timely decisions, which leads to greater productivity, profitability and milk yield on-farm.
Cow monitoring systems, such as the Allflex Dairy Monitoring System, allows farmers to monitor important aspects of a cow’s health, such as fertility and rumination via real-time data that is captured by collars or ear tags worn by cows.
The system’s main benefit is that it helps farmers manage their dairy herds more effectively so they can focus their time on other important aspects of their business and their lives.
Geelong Cats AFL Women’s player and dairy farmer Shelley Scott juggles both her football career and responsibilities on her family’s 100-hectare dairy farm, just outside Colac in Victoria’s Western District, which is difficult — especially when travelling interstate.
Since discovering the Allflex Dairy Monitoring System, Shelley has improved the reproduction and profitability of the mixed dairy herd by monitoring important aspects such as heat detection, adverse health events and overall rumination of her herd.
“I can check on all my cows through the Allflex app and alert someone back home if any need attention. Having access to real-time data on how my cows are tracking has made me a better farm manager,” Shelley said.
One of the main benefits of the Allflex Dairy Monitoring System is that Shelley can run her dairy farm with less help.
Instead of finding a herd manager while she is away, Shelley can keep an eye on things through her Allflex system.
“When comparing high-performance sport with high-performance in dairy cows, I find it’s always the one-percenters that make the difference, and the Allflex System helps me get the one-percenters right,” Shelley said.
Allflex sales lead Clancy Jordan said there were a variety of ways dairy farmers could improve performance on their farm, however, it was important to remember that farmers farm in different ways throughout different regions.
“Whether it is nutritional, agronomic, management or technological performance solutions, Australian dairy farmers tend to be at the cutting edge, in a country that has no shortage of environmental or commercial challenges to throw our way,” Clancy said.
When it comes to Allflex Dairy Monitoring, the system provides accurate information around the reproductive performance of the cows in a herd — detecting heats, non-cycling and irregular heat cows, and also pregnancy probability.
“The Allflex System takes the pressure off throughout the calving period,” Clancy said.
“And I am finding that more and more of our farmers find the health monitoring benefits and the nutrition insights being a significant contributor to the return on investment.”
For more information, call 1300 138 247 or visit: www.allflex.global/au/
