Changing the reproduction game with animal monitoring systems

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — Animal monitoring systems are a trusted solution for accurate heat detection, but their impact extends beyond that.

By improving overall reproductive efficiency, these systems boost pregnancy rates, cut costs and help dairies maximize profitability.

“A common misconception is that monitoring systems are only for dairies that need help with heat detection,” said Don Gilberg, milking equipment sales manager with GEA.

“In reality, they’re a precision management tool that can take well-run dairies from good reproduction performance to great.”

Dairies across the United States are seeing benefits beyond heat detection. Here are three ways monitoring systems are transforming herd management and reproduction strategies:

1. Smarter heat detection, better breeding outcomes.

More accurate heat detection adds more cows to the breeding list, reduces reliance on synchronization programs and helps get cows pregnant faster. It also helps identify problem breeders sooner, allowing for faster interventions.

Traditional heat detection relies on visual observation or checking for rubbed-off paint once or twice a day.

“When employees or breeders check pens for heats, they have a limited time to look and decide,” Gilberg said. “Animal monitoring systems provide 24-hour heat detection, even when no one is around.”

Monitoring systems track multiple heat expression behaviors — standing, mounting, chin resting, sniffing and increased activity — providing objective data for confident breeding decisions.

Many farms have been able to significantly reduce timed AI programs.

“A Washington state dairy I work with still uses a synchronization program for cows that are not detectably in heat,” Gilberg said.

“However, with the addition of a monitoring system, they have reduced their shots by 50% or more, reducing overall costs and improving pregnancy rates. Their 21-day pregnancy rate now averages 35% — a 10% jump since adopting a monitoring system.”

2. Optimizing heifer reproduction.

More farms are using monitoring systems with their youngstock and seeing reproductive gains.

A 750-cow dairy in Vermont puts GEA CowScout collars on their heifers one month before their target breeding age.

“This farm monitors the heifers’ natural cycles, then once a heifer is confirmed pregnant, they use the collar for another heifer,” Gilberg said. “They maximize the value of every collar while ensuring their high-value replacements are bred quickly.”

By reducing reliance on synchronization protocols, the farm has lowered their hormone use and increased their pregnancy rate by about five percentage points year over year.

3. Empowering employees and improving efficiency.

A two-site, 8,000-cow dairy and a long-time CowScout monitoring system user has seen lower employee turnover, easier training and management.

“Now employees have tasks that are easier to learn,” Gilberg said. “Instead of relying on human heat detection a few times a day, they learn the system and how to check a list for heats, which also shows the optimal time to breed.”

Using a monitoring system with animal location can make breeding even more efficient. Rather than disrupting pens to find cows, the system locates and transmits the exact position of single or multiple cows to your mobile device or computer.

“If you’re used to locking up cows and tail-chalking them daily, monitoring systems eliminate this step — saving time and labor costs,” Gilberg said.

The Future Of Reproductive Monitoring

Monitoring systems are more than just heat detection — they’re a comprehensive tool for improving herd fertility, optimizing labor and increasing reproductive success.

“We’re excited to unlock even more capabilities with CowScout Cloud, which gives farmers more tools to enhance their reproduction programs,” Gilberg said.

“Farmers using it so far appreciate the more intuitive, user-friendly platform that allows them to identify trends and manage all their cows in one spot — even if they are housed at multiple locations.”

CowScout Cloud is a new cloud-based platform that gives farmers 24/7 access from anywhere, making it easier than ever to manage reproduction tasks on the go.

Look for an all-in-one solution like GEA CowScout, which provides heat detection, health information, identification and valuable management insights to streamline breeding and cow care for overall efficiency.