Animal health has a significant impact on animal performance, farm performance and overall herd health.

Sick animals are not only a welfare concern, but they require an increased amount of management and can lead to stress and worry for farmers.

Identifying sick animals, early, on farm can be difficult as cattle are herd animals and it is in their nature to disguise any illness. As a result, sick animals are often identified too late.

Datamars is a global livestock management company that owns a number of respected brands, including the Tru-Test brand which many farmers will be familiar with from things like weighing scales, stick readers and milk-recording solutions.

The recently launched Tru-Test Active Tag activity-monitoring solution is the most advanced on the market. It delivers the latest technology with ease of use and exceptional accuracy.

Tru-Test Active Tag directly supports two key management and resource areas on farm: Heat detection and animal health.

Heat detection is a well-established, high-value insight most farmers will be very familiar with.

“Since the installation of the Datamars TruTest Solution, I’ve found the notifications to be quick and very accurate," said Co. Cork farmer John O'Sullivan.

Heat, however, isn’t all the story.

Active Tag accurately tracks animal activities and gestures such as lying, standing, ruminating, eating and resting. By monitoring this information 24/7, sick animals can be identified, even if there are only subtle changes in their routine.

This is typically well in advance of visual signs of sickness being noticed.

By identifying an illness early with Active Tag, sick animals are given the best chance for a swift and successful recovery. This leads to reduced culling rates, lower vet costs and less use of antibiotics.

And, with earlier detection and associated quick recovery, onwards spread of disease within the herd is also minimised.

Depending on the time of year, a farmer with 100 cows could have up to five or six cows sick at any one time. This takes a lot of management.

Active Tag is like having another person on the farm. It keeps an eye on the individual animal and the whole herd, identifying those sick cows early, giving the farmer every chance to keep the herd healthy and productive.

In addition to identifying health issues typically seen on a farm, the Active Tag solution monitors the herd throughout the full reproduction cycle from one calving to the next.

Heat detection throughout the breeding season is the key feature here. But with Datamars Livestock, the app used with Tru-Test Active Tag, the farmer gets so much more.

Datamars Livestock uses the Tru-Test Active Tag insights to alert the farmer to any animals that have reproduction issues, such as anestrous, irregular cycles, or suspected abortions.

It also advises the farmer whether the animal is likely to be pregnant or not, helping with key culling decisions at the end of the year without the need for expensive pregnancy scanning.

The comprehensive Datamars Livestock app also helps the farmer throughout the breeding season and beyond. It identifies animals not bred and recommends dry-off dates based on accurate, insight-driven expected calving dates.

This gives the farmer an unrivalled picture of the reproductive status of his herd, with clear actions on next steps with each animal to maximise productivity.

John O’Sullivan has noted a number of standout advantages after implementing the Tru-Test Active Tag solution, including with regards to information capture and insights delivery, stating:

All this saves the farmer both time and money, while giving peace of mind that the herd is being watched 24/7.

For more information on the Tru-Test Active Tag, click here.