Technology has changed how farms manage their daily workloads. From texting employees about schedule changes to GPS in tractor cabs, it’s quickly becoming an invisible employee on the farm. Dairy One is helping farms implement technology, and below are some of the offerings they provide to help farms succeed across their operations.
Managing Herd Well-Being
Since many farms today have large herds numbering 100 cows or more, it takes a lot to track and care for each individual animal. Herd management technology has developed alongside dairies as they’ve grown in size. There are numerous options out there to help farmers track when cows are checked by the veterinarian, given a shot for breeding purposes or have recently had a calf. All of this information is important to farmers for overall cow well-being and continued milk production.
A technology like BoviSync integrates easily into herd management. This software allows farms to view individual cows and look at their entire life history. Within this data is information such as how much milk she is producing, when she received a vet check, and where she is in her reproduction cycle. Even if a farmer is not physically at the farm, they can assign chores to this cow that employees can perform that day. Customizable reporting, chore assignment, and the ability to match the language that an employee needs, are just some of the benefits of BoviSync that farmers have found from using this technology.
Ensuring Proper Feed Ration
Believe it or not, cows have their own full-service buffet. It takes the work of many people including a nutritionist, veterinarian, feed mixer, and crop grower. Much like humans, cows have specific diets they need to eat to stay the super athletes that they are. A dairy farmer works with outside consultants like a vet or nutritionist to create a feed ration to keep cows healthy and productive. In addition, it takes many acres of crops to keep cows fed year-round, and farm employees to mix, deliver, and monitor feed availability and levels.
Feedlync is a tool available to farms for ensuring that the correct feed ration is being given to cows. This technology mounts on a feed wagon and is connected to a tablet in the cab of a tractor or truck. Once again, a farmer can work remotely and adjust a feed mix if necessary. Feedlync will report on how much of a certain feed ingredient is available, if a wet weather event affects dry matter intake, and holds a mixture of reports on feed intake across the farm. It’s a very handy tool for helping lower feed costs.
Monitoring Farm Procedures
There are a lot of moving parts on a dairy farm. From feed deliveries to the milking parlor to the barns themselves, something is always on the move at a farm. Being everywhere at once isn’t an option for a dairy farmer, especially during busy seasons like summer. However, activities need monitoring for various reasons including security and maintenance of proper procedures.
Cameras are a tool that acts as another pair of eyes across dairy farms. Mounted in key areas such as the sick pen, milking parlor, milk tank room, or main feed aisles, they can record the entire day. Farmers can review these recordings for training purposes or to locate where an issue may be happening in the barns. Cameras are just another tool to help farmers maintain consistency across their operations.
For more information about technology on farms, check out this Dairy Voice podcast featuring Thomas Matthews from Dairy One’s Integrated Farming Solutions.
To speak with Integrated Farming Solutions about any of these tools, call 607.375.9963 or text 607.257.1272.