As the busy spring calving season gets underway, a significant challenge for many dairy farmers, is farm labour. In recent years, dairy farms have competed to secure staff from an ever decreasing pool of applicants.

That's why one dairy farmer in Co. Carlow has successfully sought other tools and methods to save on farm labour.

Ashleigh Fennell is milking 100 black-and-white cows on the Co. Kildare border with Carlow, operating a spring calving system.

She is a relatively new entrant to dairy, with the first of her milk supply only starting in 2019.

'The dream'

Ashleigh explained that her grandfather originally used to milk cows by hand on the farm, but said her father switched to a beef and sheep enterprise when he took over.

As time went on and Ashleigh took over the farm enterprise. She continued with beef and sheep for a period, however she admits that she always had the ambition to bring the farm back to dairy.

It was in 2019 when the farm was converted back to dairy that Ashleigh explained that "the dream started".

She had previously never milked a cow, so setting up a successful spring calving system took hard work and long hours.

As there were no extra farm staff employed, Ashleigh set about researching how technology might save her time and labour.

SenseHub

Ashleigh looked at which tasks were the most time-consuming, and found that she was walking up and down to the field more than six times each day to check cows for heat ahead of the breeding season.

While this method meant she was successfully picking out all the cows in heat, it also led to her being tied to the farm and constantly on the lookout.

Ashleigh highlighted how tough the breeding season can be with the added strain of long hours and little help, as farmers are just recovering from long tiresome nights throughout calving.

That is when she decided to invest in SenseHub Behaviour Monitoring Technology from MSD Animal Health, because its 24/7 monitoring made it a much more efficient and reliable way to monitor her herd.

Since the investment, Ashleigh has felt less stress around breeding season, stating that it has given her "peace of mind" when it comes to breeding and calving, describing the collars a "gamechanger'" in terms of saving time and labour.

She has also eliminated any of the guesswork from breeding season, which has improved accuracy and saved costs in the long-term.

Ashleigh no longer has to be as 'hands on', as she can monitor the herd with ease from her phone, allowing her to identify and investigate any health issues early on, with the collar detecting any behavioural changes.

As cows begin calving down, navigating their transition period successfully is crucial in determining the cow's health, productivity, and performance.

With the SenseHub collars, Ashleigh now has access to an early fresh cow report, which helps her to spot any health issues or nutritional deficiencies early on during this period, which is crucial as early detection and treatment is essential.

Ashleigh said: "Life with SenseHub means more time to do things outside of the farm, and SenseHub allows me to do that."

Series

The Life with SenseHub Series, running from January 26 to March 22, will follow four dairy farmers from across the country as they share their personal experiences of how their lives have changed since installing SenseHub on their farms.

The series goes beyond the technology itself, focusing on how SenseHub has impacted each farmer’s lifestyle, decision-making and confidence, both on and off the farm.

From freeing up time away from the yard to improving breeding performance, identifying early health issues, and supporting smoother spring transitions out to grass, the series highlights the practical, everyday benefits of data-driven farming.

Each farmer featured in the series tells their story about how they use SenseHub in a different way, reflecting the diverse ways SenseHub can adapt to individual farm needs.

The series not only features SenseHub Behaviour Monitoring, but also other elements of the SenseHub Ecosystem including SenseHub Youngstock and SenseHub Drafting.

SenseHub Milk Monitoring - another element of the Ecosystem but not featured in the series – is also utilised by farmers to drive greater efficiencies when it comes to milk quality.

Viewers and readers will hear first-hand how the technology has helped farmers improve efficiencies, reduce labour pressures, and gain greater peace of mind during key busy periods of the farming year.

Through video and podcast discussions, the Life with SenseHub Series offers an in-depth look at how the technology fits into every day farming lives, highlighting not just improved performance, but improved quality of life for farmers and their families.

For more information on the SenseHub Behaviour Monitoring Technology from MSD Animal Health, click here.