MSD expands SenseHub to help farmers improve milk quality
The new integrated offerings expand the existing reproduction and health-detection benefits of SenseHub behavioural monitoring technology, to provide additional actionable insights on SCC and critical milk data such as milk yield, fat, protein, lactose, blood and conductivity. The SenseHub Dairy ecosystem facilitates a ‘fully connected farm offering, significant cost and labour savings for the farmer, while improving milk quality and overall udder health’ according to MSD.
Jack O’Connor, ruminant business unit director, MSD Animal Health outlined the challenges facing Irish dairy farmers and how improved data collection can help make informed decisions to address these challenges. “If farmers cannot measure what is going on in the milking parlour, it is very hard for them to improve it. The SenseHub Dairy ecosystem is designed to be farmer-centric with all of the data and information available in one place to allow farmers to make timely, data-driven management decisions while allowing them to farm with more freedom.”
He continued: “The power of this technology is that it gives farmers the tools to be able to assess what is going on at an individual cow level, as well as at herd level. Although the industry has made great progress in adopting technology on farms over the last few years, the use of data is still at a very early stage, but the possibilities are endless, and we look forward to continuing to add to the SenseHub Dairy portfolio in the coming years.”
Speaking about the new offering Cara Sheridan, ruminant integration technical manager, MSD Animal Health said: “The SenseHub SCC Sensor not only provides a visual alert during milking to allow for prompt intervention with cows with high SCC, but the data is also sent to the SenseHub system allowing farmers to use this information for udder health management; whether that is in the short-term drafting cows for examination or to separate them to avoid spread or long term for dry cow treatment selection and/or culling. While the milking tech allows for immediate intervention it is important to point out there is no interruption to milking time due to the in-line technology.”
Kilkenny dairy farmer, Eamon Sheehan, has piloted the new integrated technology on his 200-cow farm in Cuffesgrange over the last lactation. Speaking of the benefits he said: “As a farmer, if I can’t measure something I can’t manage it. The dairy industry has been very exciting over the last few years with the amount of investment in technology. Having SenseHub milking technology installed is a step forward in running our farm as best as we possibly can both financially and from a freedom point of view. Now with the integrated SenseHub Dairy ecosystem, it enables me to have real-time data whether I am on or off farm. It’s like having someone with your cows at all times.”