The only regret Lachlan Fry has about installing CowManager in his dairy herd is that he didn’t do it sooner.
Since installing the CowManager system in May 2023, Lachlan has nothing negative to say about that decision. It’s all been upside as far as he’s concerned.
Lachlan manages the family’s Katandra Park Stud, a 50 per cent Holstein, 50 per cent Jersey operation, milking 140 cows at Brunswick Junction in south-west Western Australia.
He is the fourth generation of his family to dairy farm, currently leasing a farm which includes an 89ha milking platform and another 121ha for young stock and cropping. Around 60 per cent of the property can be irrigated, usually from October to April each year.
“We grow all our own fodder and feed a supplement customised dairy pellet, averaging around 8.5kg for the Holsteins and 6kg a day for the Jerseys,” Lachlan said.
“We don’t have a TMR system, so at this time, I felt the Nutrition module in CowManager was unnecessary for us. But we may look at it in time.”
For the past 18 months Lachlan has been running the Fertility and Health modules of the CowManager system, fully utilising the system for the first time for the 2023 spring joining.
Although they don’t calve all year round, they do have an extended calving period from August to April which suits the farm's needs.
“Cows and the breeding side of things has been my passion from a very young age, so naturally you always take a greater interest in this side of the business,” Lachlan said.
“I strongly believe getting cows pregnant is one of the most important things on any dairy farm and CowManager has really contributed to those one percenters that really add up.
“It’s been so beneficial to picking up on non-cycling cows, cystic cows and general health issues before we do. And there’s the overnight heats you might just miss too. CowManager picks them up.
“It takes a bit of time to trust that the system is getting the timing right, but now I am confident in the system; in fact, we probably won’t pregnancy test in the future.”
While he thinks there’s been only a slight increase in conception rates, Lachlan is convinced that getting that precise window for AI has meant far less semen wastage, which is especially critical when using expensive sexed semen.
“It gives you the confidence to invest in good semen because you know you’re breeding the right cows at the right time.”
They now use no other methods of heat detection, relying entirely on CowManager to set the optimal timing for joining.
“Installing CowManager has given me greater freedom to be away from the farm and still be completely aware of what the cows are up too, their activity levels and breeding status all from my iPhone.
“I will often get a health alert that something suspicious is going on with a cow and I can check its rumination activity.
“If I’m not there I can get staff to check, often well before they have seen anything. I can get them to check a certain cow as soon as they come in in the morning.
“It’s just great reassurance and CowManager is very rarely wrong.”
Early alert notifications on a cow can mean getting treatments started earlier and reduce the severity of the impact of a health issue. The cow recovers quicker, and she is back in production sooner.
“It’s the accumulation of lots of little things that make CowManager so valuable,” Lachlan said.
“The information available on the system is very powerful. You really know what’s going on with your cows.
“I think without this kind of system in today’s dairy business environment, you’re behind the eight ball. You must know what’s going on.”
Provided by CowManager. For more information, go to: https://www.cowmanager.com/australia