Dairymaster launched the much anticipated MooMonitor+ that monitors each individual cow’s health and fertility at its global headquarters in Causeway, Co Kerry.
Dairymaster’s original MooMonitor focused solely on whether a cow was in heat or not, the latest model can now help with animal health, reducing further the revenue lost through illness and missed heats, through networking and cloud computing.
Even though the solution allows farmers to monitor their entire herd 24X7 from their smartphones, the real power lies in its ability to monitor each and every cow in the herd. MooMonitor+ key features deliver superior fertility and heat detection monitoring, together with advanced health monitoring. Six key aspects of cow health and wellness are monitored including Fertility, Rumination, Resting, Feeding, Restlessness and Performance. The data recorded is then delivered to the farmer on his / her smartphone around the clock.
Other enhancements to the solution include;
- Using the latest power saving technology, the battery life of MooMonitor+ has been extended up to an incredible 10 years
- Up to 1000 times improvement in range compared to current systems on the market.
- 4x more data intervals = more real-time information, precisely monitor changes in behaviour and identify illness much faster thereby enhancing a farmers ability to enhance profitability, fertility, health and output across the herd.
- Similar to the contactless bank card payment systems we are now seeing in shops and cafes, MooMonitor+ is also incorporating similar technology. Farmers will be able to swipe the MooMonitor+ with compatible smartphones to automatically read a cows individual informaion.
Speaking at the launch, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn commented “It is forecast that the lifting of milk quotas next year could result in strong growth in global demand for dairy products from Europe,” said Quinn. “I know many Irish dairy farmers are already building up their herds in anticipation of this projected growth, and the national plan is to increase production by 50% by 2020. It’s easy to say this of course, but in practical terms, farmers in Ireland and across the EU will need to invest in a lot of new and innovative equipment if they are to meet their ambitious targets.”
With the Kerry football team vying for a record 37th All-Ireland football title this weekend, Dairymaster’s MooMonitor+ reflects the Kerry philosophy of persistently striving for continuous improvement. Commissioner Quinn praised the role of Irish Small to Medium Enterprises (SME’s) across Ireland in helping enhance profitability on Irish farms. The ploughing championships in Count Laois next week give farmers a perfect opportunity to discover how such companies can drive efficiency growth in the post-quota era.
