With funding available of up to €10,000 for heat detection systems under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3), many farmers are considering these labour-saving devices.

An often overlooked advantage is the level of integration they offer with other technologies that farmers might already be using.

Censortec CowControl, powered by Nedap, has been monitoring Irish cows for 20 years, giving farmers accurate data on their herd heats, fertility, and health.

Censortec has become the leading supplier of activity monitors to Irish dairy farmers and will be at next week's National ploughing Championships in Co. Laois (Stand 164).

Censortec systems integrate with several other systems, including farm management software, parlour software, and drafting gates.

For example, with the introduction of Nedap Now, Censortec integrates with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), allowing information such as artificial insemination (AI) serves, calving dates, and heats flow between the two systems.

Drafting systems can help reduce labour, reduce stress on the farmer and the animal, and improve welfare - and Censortec CowControl integrates with Alfco’s Drafting Gate app.

This means that when a farmer selects ‘Start Milking’ on the Alfco app, the data from CowControl’s activity monitoring system synchs, and any cow that is due to be served is automatically drafted as she exits the parlour.

If a cow has been selected for drafting the gate will automatically open on reading her electronic identification (EID) tag as she exits the parlour, and sort her into a pen accordingly.

The main supplier of EID tags is Cormac Tagging, which works closely with Censortec and Alfco to provide unified support to Irish farmers.

Through its integration with Censortec CowControl, Alfco’s Drafting gate provides a seamless solution to drafting out cows on heat. These farmers have been using both systems to make managing their herd easier.

"Every morning, I check the CowControl app, and see what’s on heat. Then, when we start milking, I just hit ‘Start Milking’ on the Alfco app, and at the end of milking any cow that needs to be served is standing in the drafting pen. It’s simple," said Joe O’Rourke, who milks 230 cows outside Moate, Co. Westmeath.

Joe uses Censortec to manage the cows during pre-breeding. CowControl allows them to easily identify problem cows. Alfco then allows them to select those cows with ease.

"Any cow calved over 40 days without a heat gets flagged on CowControl in the app, and then we pull them out using the Alfco gate," he said.

"They get checked and any issues are sorted before we start breeding. The combination of CowControl and the Alfco gate is irreplaceable when it comes to managing the herd’s fertility, especially in pre-breeding.

Jamie Kealy, who farms on a leased farming with his wife Lorraine in Co. Carlow, installed the Aflco gate in 2017, and installed Censortec in 2022.

"We wanted to find an easier way to do things so I could spend more time off the farm with the kids," he said.

"We installed CowControl around Christmas time, and we had that time before calving and breeding to get used to the information it was giving us. We used it in pre-breeding and didn’t bother tail painting.

"It picked up all the cows that had issues after calving, so they were ready to go by the time breeding started.

"The integration with the Alfco gate is brilliant. We were able to pick out cows during milking with the keypad, and now with the app, I can pick them out wherever I am.

Jamie uses the gate a couple times a week, for drafting cows that need attention.

"We’re only milking 120 cows, and I know some people think at those numbers you don’t need a gate, or that you’ll only use it when you’re serving cows.

"But without fail, I’m using it two or three times a week outside of breeding. If the hoof trimmer is coming, or I want to lift a cow’s foot, or when the scanner is coming, I can set up the group the night before from the app, and it’ll pick them out for me. It’s brilliant," he said.

Censortec and Alfco have been working together on farms of all sizes for many years. The technology helps farmers operating all types of systems - big and small.

Neil and John Burke, who milk 500 cows in Co. Meath, installed CowControl in 2020. Prior to installing Censortec, they had a full labour unit dedicated to tail painting, heat detection, and pulling out cows for breeding at milking time.

"With our number of cows, breeding season was manic. We could have up to 30 cows to draft at once, and on top of that we’d someone tail painting during milking every morning," Neil said.

"With Censortec, we’ve cut out tail painting and we improved our fertility. From a labour perspective we couldn’t manage without it. We can pick out 30 cows by pressing one button.

"‘The gate has yet to make a mistake since we installed it; if a wrong cow is selected it’s down to a user error on our end if we manually select the wrong cow to be picked out from the parlour.

"Each staff member has the apps installed on their phones. Our morning milker’s first job is to check the system and use the app to get all the relevant cows picked out. The labour it saves is huge, and there’s less stress on the cows too."

When it came to installing an activity monitoring system, Neil and John were swayed towards CowControl for a few reasons.

"We had already installed the Alfco gate, and the fact that the two integrated was definitely a big plus. Outside of that, we had heard about the accuracy of the system from a few friends," Neil said.

"Regardless of the integration, I think the system is one of the best out there.

"The Censortec team was really easy to deal with and came and had the system installed in half a day. If I ever had any questions, they were always at the end of the phone," he added.

To find out more about how Censortec and its partners can help you manage your herd, click here, or visit Censortec at the National Ploughing Championships at Stand 164.