Cow collars a new drafting tool
Waikato dairy farmers can now draft cows in the paddock, instead of out of the cowshed, using hightech software.
Farming technology company Halter, which sells solar-powered, GPS-enabled collars for cows to manage and monitor dairy herds remotely, is now using the collars to shift cows between breaks at times farmers have preprogrammed.
It also allows farmers to view their herds, as well as track and locate herds remotely, and separates cows in the paddock, meaning farmers can care for them at an individual level.
Farmers have never before been able to seamlessly, and remotely, ask 20 cows to walk out of a paddock, Halter business manager Steve Crowhurst said.
‘‘They might need extra feed, they might need to be assessed for lameness, or they might need to be artificially inseminated during mating. Whatever it is they need, this technology opens up a multitude of new ways for farmers to care for their stock in ways that were previously impossible,’’ Crowhurst said.
‘‘Farmers can now select and move specific girls away from the mob any time of the day. Essentially, they can run their farm how they want.’’
The new in-paddock drafting system is being used on farms across the country, including Fraser Hasnip’s dairy farm in Pirongia, Waipā.
‘‘The new feature is huge for me. Drafting calving cows out of the springer mob no longer is a game of bullrush with a break fence in a paddock,’’ Hasnip said.
‘‘I no longer lug around reels and standards and need loads of people to help. I can manage everything on my own without the extra stress to me and the cows. It’s such a seamless way to farm.‘‘
The collars, which have been used on Waikato farms since early 2020, guide cows around a farm using sound and vibrations, allowing farmers to automate herd movements and create virtual fences. The technology, called Cowgorithim, can also tell a farmer when a cow is hurt or on heat.
Crowhurst said achieving a healthy work-life balance as a dairy farmer can be pretty challenging. Halter is all about finding solutions, he said.
‘‘Our aim is to create a more manageable and sustainable way of farming focusing on the individual animal and we think this new feature reflects that.’’