How Internal Temperature Monitoring Is Transforming Cow Care
Inside the Data That Helps Producers Move From Reactive to Proactive Cow Management
A Lifetime With Cows Leads to a Career in Dairy Technology
Amanda Dolphin grew up immersed in cows on her family’s dairy farm in Casco, Wisconsin, which dates back to 1868. With 225 cows and all young stock raised on site, she says, “Cows are in my blood. That’s my passion.” Today, her two sisters and their husbands manage the day-to-day while Amanda keeps tabs from afar using smaxTec’s bolus-based monitoring system.
Why Internal Temperature Was the Deciding Factor
Her family first used rumination collars but found that alerts came too late. When they learned about internal temperature monitoring through smaxTec, it changed everything.
“We were too late to the party… with internal temperature, we’re getting alerted two to three days before that cow shows clinical signs.”
The bolus measures internal temperature, rumination, drinking cycles, water intake, and activity. All in all, the system provides round-the-clock visibility for the dairy.
Dairy Data Points
Amanda says temperature drops became one of the most valuable data points on their farm. Especially when it comes to the maternity area and calving alerts. As Amanda says, it’s “really nice to get that heads up.” Outside of her own family dairy, Amanda works with producers who adopt the technology every single day. She mentioned how the system has been a game changer for producers not only when it comes to calving alerts, water intake, and other aspects, but also for mastitis alerts and early temperature-based alerts.
Early Detection
Catching issues earlier means:
• Less Extreme Intervention
• Cows maintain production instead of falling behind.
• Fewer Lost Quarters = Less Lost Production
• Better Fresh-Cow Starts
Some farms using the system have cut synchronization lists significantly by breeding off first heats detected via the bolus. Amanda says producers are often surprised by the improvement once they try it.
To Amanda, it comes down to caring for cows the right way. “If you take care of the cows, they take care of you…with this technology and being proactive with that temperature, it’s a no-brainer.”
For more from this conversation with Amanda Dolphin, stream the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or watch the complete interview below.
