Fall 2015
Monitoring Repro & Health
CowManager:
Dedicated & Unbiased Employee 24/7
O
riginally very skeptical that the CowManager cow monitoring system would actually work, Mike Johnson of Trailside Holsteins, Fountain, Minnesota, decided to “test” it by purchasing 20 tags. Mike is now a firm believer and all breeding cows have tags. The well-managed Trailside Holsteins LLC has 500 cows on sand-bedded free stalls and farms 1,200 acres of corn and alfalfa hay. Trailside is family owned and operated by Jon, his son Mike and wife Margaret. They are passionate about creating a quality product while taking care of their cattle, community, environment, family, and future generations.
Relying On Real-Time Info 24/7
Mike Johnson gets help with the CowManager tags from the next generation at Trailside Holsteins LLC, Fountain, MN: one-year-old Levi and three-year-old Sawyer.
Initially, Mike purchased CowManager to increase heat detection and reduce hormone usage, but this system has given
him that and so much more. They were considering hiring a herdsperson to monitor herd health because there just weren’t enough hours in a day to do a good job. Mike adds, “To be able to look up any cow, at any time, on my phone and make decisions about her in real time when I am at cow side or at home has been very beneficial to me.” Mike admits that all the data can be overwhelming at times. Now that he’s familiar with the system, Mike has become reliant on the information and would be challenged to manage without it.
Saving Money In Several Areas With CowManager
Prior to investing in CowManager, Trailside had been utilizing a fully timed A.I. program (PreSynch, OvSynch, ReSynch). In addition, for a year they had been tail chalking to help increase the heat detection rate. Since starting to breed the cows utilizing CowManager in January 2015, the repro program has been so successful that Mike has gradually implemented several changes: 1. Shots (and related costs) have been reduced - breeding more cows off natural heats a. Catching more cows in heat after the Voluntary Waiting Period (VWP) b. The first prostaglandin shots were moved back to 58 DIM and 72 DIM and cows are bred off of them. If cows are not inseminated by 86 DIM,
they are enrolled in OvSynch 2. Breeding more cows at the optimal time of insemination 3. Three months after all the breeding cows had CowManager tags (tags are currently put on as animals enter the prefresh "To be able to look up any cow, at any time, on my phone pen), tail and make decisions in real time has been very benefi- chalking cial to me." Mike Johnson, Trailside Holsteins LLC was eliminated (they no longer hire a company to do that), saving them money. Mike notes, “At this point, I was
timed OvSynch program. This is probably one of the factors that has contributed to Trailside’s repro analysis summary showing that the percent of cows confirmed pregnant at less than 150 DIM has jumped from 36% before CowManager was installed to 45% now.
Utilizing Modules Together
Using the health module in conjunction with the fertility module to confirm heats is one of the “biggest benefits” of CowManager, notes Mike. In their herd when a cow is actually in heat, rumination time decreases and eating time increases. Mike explains that this helps him separate the cows that are actually in estrus from the ones that have increased activity from pen moves, cystic cows and false heats.
Detecting Health Problems Sooner
Trailside Holsteins LLC will be featured in a virtual farm tour on Saturday at World Dairy Expo. The Johnson family includes Levi, Margaret, Mike, Jon, Sharon and (in front) Sawyer.
confident enough in the system to stop tail chalking and it’s been going great.” Mike also notes that with CowManager they are catching more cows in "Select Sires is a progressive company that I look forheat at ward to partnering with well into the future." 19-22 Mike Johnson, Trailside Holsteins LLC days since last heat and identifying cows that come into heat early or late on the
Prior to CowManager, Trailside really didn’t have any tools to monitor cow health. With CowManager, early detection of mastitis, fresh cow illnesses and subclinical respiratory infections has been substantial. “I am treating cows sooner, which sometimes means I am able to use supportive medications instead of antibiotics,” states Mike. Then, he uses temperature, eating time, rumination time and activity time to determine if the treatment is working or if further action is needed. “I am definitely catching the majority of sick cows earlier. In most cases, there is a faster recovery and the cows bounce back sooner.” Because Mike constantly looks at the information, he can take immediate action to intervene if a cow only temporarily responds to treatment and then takes a turn for the worse. Mike concludes, “The service I have received during and after the installation of the CowManager system has been extremely valuable and timely. Select Sires is a progressive company that I look forward to partnering with well into the future.”