Background

With an increase in cow numbers from 140 to 240, Warren and Megan Gallagher decided to use technology to help with mating precision and herd management. For the first time, this season Warren used the Allflex SenseTime™monitoring system on his dairy farm in Clunes, NSW. “I’d been a little disappointed in my in- calf rate,” says Warren. “I’m good at seeing the heats, but SenseTime gives you accurate information on when you should join them.” The goals were to improve the timing of AI (artificial insemination) and Warren has already noticed how some cows have a longer heat than others. “If I saw them jumping in the afternoon, I would have joined them the following morning. The SenseTime graph tells me some cows shouldn’t be joined until the following afternoon due to a longer pre-heat timeframe. Before putting the collars on, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.”