For Co. Waterford dairy farmer Pat Gough, the implementation of Moonsyst bolus heat detection technology has brought his breeding efficiency to a new level.

A key offering of the Moonsyst heat detection services are pre-breeding reports, which identify cows with fertility issues prior to the start of the breeding season.

The report captures heat during the voluntary waiting period, providing crucial insights by highlighting two key groups of cows - those showing no heat activity and those displaying erratic heat behaviour.

This early reporting allows Pat to identify potentially problematic cows that he can present for veterinary inspection before the breeding season begins. This gives every cow a chance to have a successful pregnancy and extend their legacy on the farm.

"Getting this information early was crucial," he explained.

"The system allowed me to jumpstart my breeding season, I could identify problematic cows and have them checked by our vet.

"Cows picked up by Moonsyst and put forward to the vet had proven to have fertility issues. This preventive approach helped me avoid the scenario where problem cows are only discovered after the first round of AI [artificial insemination]," Pat said.

Observing and documenting heat activity in the voluntary waiting period is a time-consuming exercise.

Identifying cows showing erratic or no heat activity can be extremely challenging, meaning the opportunity for timely intervention could be lost. These cows will inevitably become members of the late calving group.

Reliable heat detection is vital on all farms, not only in identifying oestrus events in cows but also offering huge reductions in both time and labour for the farmer.

Moonsyst's AI4AI (artificial intelligence for artificial insemination) not only looks at the activity of the heat event but also the increased body core temperature from the associated oestrus event (the heat) via the bolus, thus making the detection of heats more reliable.

Notification of a heat is sent for each cow to the user's Moonsyst phone app, where a visual snapshot of the heat event is available on an interactive display.

Using the long-trusted AM/PM rule, the system gives the farmer the optimal time for insemination by way of a unique colour-coded countdown clock on the phone app.

Once the insemination has been recorded, the system will continue to look for repeat activity and also prepare the cow for calving alerts in spring.

The Waterford dairy farmer noted: "I was a lot more confident with my use of sexed semen last year, especially in cows showing strong heats pre-breeding. Given the high number of heifer calves born on the farm this spring, the results speak for themselves."

Moonsyst also uses artificial intelligence to alert the farmer when the cow is in labour and sends a push notification hours in advance of calving, allowing time for housing preparation.

Beyond heat and calving detection, the Moonsyst health monitoring system offers valuable insights into overall herd health and insights from inside the rumen.

One of the most compelling features of Moonsyst's technology is its early disease detection capability.

The system alerts farmers to health anomalies in cows before the illness manifests visually, thereby significantly reducing the need for antibiotic treatments.

This not only promotes animal welfare but also contributes positively to environmental sustainability by lowering the dependency on pharmaceutical solutions.

With the early detection of mastitis, the farmer is given a fighting chance to tackle the illness head-on to help preserve milk quality.

"The early detection of mastitis has been hugely successful in maintaining somatic cell counts and improving udder health," Pat explained.

"My vet and I are strong believers in using fluids, anti-inflammatories, non-antibiotic therapeutics and, where appropriate, antibiotics carefully managed in the early stage treatment of mastitis.

"We have found that cows recover faster when they are caught by the system and treated early," he added.

Spring is a very busy time for farmers. The challenge of calving brings on other potential issues like dry cow mastitis, fresh cow mastitis, retained placenta, milk fever, and metritis, to name a few.

But what is constant is the system's ability to notify the farmer to these issues by way of high- and low-temperature alerts.

Reliable data, coupled with early alerts, helps bring another set of highly competent hands during a very demanding time of year.

For farmers like Pat Gough, the Moonsyst rumen bolus solution has become an indispensable tool in modern dairy farming.

Its ability to identify potential problems before the impact of a severe illness is apparent. Combined with accurate heat and calving detection, the system has proven to be a game-changer in maintaining an efficient breeding calendar, improving fertility and herd health management.

Agri IOT Ltd., trading as Moonsyst, is a registered company in Kilkenny, Ireland.