Cow monitoring systems are becoming increasingly high-tech – so how do you choose between the different options available, and what are the real benefits?

Neck collars, pedometers, tail sensors, boluses – it used to be that each technology had a slightly different use. But no-one is going to burden their cow – or their wallet – with every piece of kit; and now they don’t have to, with heat and health management all wrapped up in one solution.

“The latest heat and health sensing technology does everything, from heat and calving alerts to sickness detection,” explains Nick Barradale, senior veterinary surgeon at Moletech. For example, smaXtec boluses can monitor internal body temperature, rumen pH and cow movement; providing farmers with alerts directly to their phone or computer when events and potential problems arise.

For those who prefer an external device, the HerdInsights smart collar analyses time spent feeding, standing, and lying down, offering a useful insight into cow activity – and thereby health – as well as heat detection and embryo losses. “A bolus has the advantage of internal sensitivity, while a collar can be moved from one cow to another,” explains Mr Barradale. “Every farm is different and we want to provide a competitive solution to meet individual preferences.”

Moletech will be exhibiting its dairy monitoring solutions at both UK Dairy Day (13 Sept, Telford) and the Dairy Show (4 Oct, Shepton Mallet), where it also plans to insert a bolus into show cows to provide live data on site. For more information visit uk.smaXtec.com, www.herdinsights.com, or call Moletech on 01392 873265.