Whether it is unpredictable weather, fluctuating prices, managing labor, or one of the other challenges that comes with farming, there is always so much resting on your shoulders. As a farmer, you and your team are required to make decisions, big and small, constantly and manage your cows in a way that lowers costs and maximizes profit.
Alta COW WATCH is the herd monitoring system and solution that brings dollars back you’re your operation while making herd management one of the easiest parts of your operation to manage. Acting as the 24/7 defender of your herd, this system offers critical insights that helps you see what you can’t and don’t see in your cows. It is the reliable and affordable system that offers you and your team peace of mind, while maximizing productivity and profit for your operation.
Here are four ways that Alta COW WATCH brings value back into your operation:
1. IMPROVES REPRO PERFORMANCE BY HELPING YOU NEVER MISS A HEAT AGAIN
Every producer knows that missed breeding opportunities can quickly add up to substantial financial losses. Consider this – if an open cow costs $2.00 per day, then a single missed heat can cost you $42.00. Multiply that by multiple missed heats, and the financial impact becomes evident.
Visible signs of heat, like standing to be mounted, are observable, but they’re not foolproof. Cows exhibit only 1.5 mounts per hour lasting 4-6 seconds each, and the window to detect a heat is incredibly small, ranging from 4 to 18 hours. Heat activity is typically lowest during feeding and milking times, which is when farm staff are most present, and highest when you’re likely sleeping.
Alta COW WATCH, Alta’s state-of-the-art herd monitoring system, takes over the task of continuous heat detection, leveraging indicators, like sniffing and chin resting, alongside activity levels to ensure no heat goes unnoticed. This 24/7 monitoring system provides actionable insights, guiding the time of insemination for higher conception rates.
Silent Heats
Some cows that may not even show a heat due to environmental or metabolic factors, such as floor surface, feet or leg issues, heat stress, ketosis, or she simply may not be cycling. Alta COW WATCH enables you to be proactive and identify silent heats, allowing you to swiftly address underlying fertility, metabolic, or environmental issues.
Read the Why Activity Monitoring Matters for Reproduction article to learn more about how you can leverage Alta COW WATCH’s activity monitoring capabilities to detect heats promptly and intervene early in case of reproductive issues.
2. SAVES YOU TIME AND MONEY BY CATCHING SICK COWS SOONER
Automated activity monitoring has the power to create efficiencies for your dairy operation, saving you time and money. Alta COW WATCH allows you to scan through data, spot abnormalities in cow behavior, and quickly detect potential health issues like mastitis or metabolic diseases earlier. This proactive approach sets the tone for a productive day, all before you’ve even left the computer or put down your phone.
Detecting acute mastitis and other common illnesses early is game-changing. Mastitis is notorious for its contagious nature and hefty economic toll, costing dairy farms significant sums annually. With Alta COW WATCH, you can see when there is a sudden drop in eating and rumination time compared to cow or herd historical data, which can be an early warning sign of illness. Specialized alerts help to identify high-risk cows, allowing for timely intervention so farmers can diagnose and treat mastitis before visible symptoms like swelling and redness manifest and prevent it from spreading.
Another area of concern that can easily be missed without an activity monitoring system is mycotoxin contamination in feed. Mycotoxins pose a significant threat, leading to substantial revenue losses. Pinpointing such issues can be challenging due to vague visual symptoms. Alta COW WATCH acts as an early warning system, flagging lethargy, reduced feed intake, and rumination – all telltale signs of mycotoxin exposure. Groups alerts can also be set up and are triggered when abnormal behavior patterns emerge within a specific pen or group of cows, allowing for quick intervention.
The article Save Time & Money with Automated Activity Monitoring further elaborates and emphasizes the power of Alta COW WATCH and the profit it can generate.
Detect Ketosis Sooner
While owning an activity monitoring system undoubtedly streamlines farm operations, it can also help you increase your bottom line by providing insights to keep your cows healthier. One way these systems keep cows healthy is by detecting ketosis faster.
The repercussions of early detection and treatment of ketosis cannot be overstated. Considering a 1,000 – cow dairy with a 30% ketosis rate, the annual cost could skyrocket to $87,000. However, by reducing the ketosis rate by just 5%, the potential savings could amount to $14,500 per year.
By inspecting chewing time ten days pre- and post-calving with Alta COW WATCH, farmers can detect when a cow’s behavior is different from typical patterns. While temporary decreases in chewing time around calving are normal, prolonged depressions may signal underlying issues like ketosis.
Another valuable ketosis indicator is identifying if your cow’s performance is relative to her pen mates. Chewing time may signal broader management issues within the group, such as nutrition or environmental factors. By analyzing group data alongside individual cow metrics, farmers can pinpoint potential abnormalities and target their corrective actions.
The Alta COW WATCH herd monitoring system is the tool that truly sees what you can’t with your cows, helping you keep your cows healthy and save money by identifying issues like ketosis faster. For more information on how you can detect ketosis sooner, read the article linked here.
3. MAKES TRANSITION COW MANAGEMENT EASIER
Herd management is the cornerstone of successful cattle production, encompassing various practices and strategies aimed at optimizing the health, productivity, and profitability of the herd. One important part of herd management is managing your transition cows so that the transition from the dry period to early lactation is seamless. Activity monitoring systems, like Alta COW WATCH, provide real-time insights into individual cow activity during this crucial phase.
Chewing activity data obtained through the activity monitoring system serves as a vital tool for detecting early signs of metabolic diseases, such as ketosis and hypocalcemia in transition cows. Cows that exhibit reduced chewing activity throughout the dry period are at higher risk of developing these conditions. By using Alta COW WATCH, farmers can detect these issues early, enabling them to promptly intervene, improve cow health, and save money.
Eating activity can have a huge impact on milk production. By monitoring eating time and behavior of transition cows, farmers can assess the health and nutritional status of the cows, allowing them to identify potential feed management issues. For example, activity monitoring data may reveal instances of feed sorting or inadequate nutrient intake among fresh heifers, leading to underperformance in milk production. Armed with this information, farmers can make informed decisions regarding feed management, adjust feeding strategies, and optimize nutrient intake to maximize milk production.
From early detection of metabolic diseases to optimizing milk production and feed management, activity monitoring systems like Alta COW WATCH can truly make a difference in your transition cows. Find more detailed information on this in the article linked here.
4. IDENTIFIES SIGNS OF HEAT STRESS SO YOU CAN IMPLEMENT COOLING STRATEGIES AT THE RIGHT TIME
Imagine you and your team are equipped with smartphones, effortlessly monitoring heat stress levels in your cattle with just a few taps. According to a 2023 study in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, heat stress costs lactating cows in the United States approximately $1.5 billion annually. Now, with Alta COW WATCH and Nedap Now’s revolutionary heat stress detection feature, you can access all the information you need in the palm of your hand.
Effective heat stress management isn’t just about keeping cows cool, it’s also about optimizing their reproductive health. Heat stress can significantly impact a cow’s estrus cycle, potentially leading to missed opportunities for breeding. Learn more about the benefits of Alta COW WATCH’s heat stress detection feature here.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Activity monitoring is crucial for dairy farmers to optimize reproduction, cow health, and welfare to enhance profitability. Alta COW WATCH provides 24/7 monitoring of cow activity, providing farmers with actionable insights throughout all areas of their herd, including:
- Detecting heats so cows can be bred at the proper time
- Identifying early signs of illness, such as mastitis, ketosis, or subclinical hypocalcemia, early so that it can be treated
- Monitoring your transition cows closely so you can set them up for success in a new lactation
- Detecting heat stress within your herd so you can implement cooling techniques at the right times.
By leveraging these data-driven insights with Alta COW WATCH, you can enhance efficiency, improve cow health and repro, and save time and money for your operation. Each of these components are key ways that you can ensure the long-term success of your operation.
