Farming in the 'Premier' county, Tipperary, Andrew Darmody operates a mixed farm consisting of dairy, beef and tillage systems.

Improving the efficiency of the farm has been a focus for the Co. Tipperary farmer and using the technology systems offered by Datamars was one way he believed this could be achieved.

Like many other farms, skilled labour was an issue, which is why using technology like the Tru-Test Active Tag has resulted in significant time savings.

But the chosen system also had to perform in other areas, with improved performance and better breeding results also being sought.

To operate an efficient grass-based dairy system, having a compact calving period is vital, meaning that missed heats or cows failing to go in-calf in the desired time period can be costly.

Missed heats mean cows cannot go in-calf and therefore their calving interval has likely increased resulting in lost production and more time spent dry.

Since installing the Tru-Test Active Tag system, Andrew has experienced a significant improvement on farm, especially in terms of detecting silent heats.

Prior to installing the system, he admitted that there would have been missed opportunities to serve the cows.

Before installing the system, determining the correct time to serve cows or whether they were actually in heat proved difficult at times.

This meant some cows were served when they should not have been.

Now, with the information available from the collars, this Tipperary farmer is now sure that the correct cow has been drafted for breeding and is being served at the correct time.

Using the Tru-Test Active Tag system, Darmody said: "There is a bit more security in knowing that the correct cows are being served."

He believes he is saving between €30 and €50 by not serving cows at an incorrect time.

The Tru-Test Active Tag system now plays a significant role on this farm on a daily basis.

With a mixed system being operated, the collars offer security in knowing the cows are still being monitored - which Andrew said offers great peace of mind.

Commenting on the app, he said: "I find the app very clear and concise with the information and if there is an alert, it comes up straight onto my phone.

"Even if I am not on the farm, I can let whoever is milking know and they can draft out the cow."

Monitoring condition of cows is also vital in a grass-based system, with significant loss in condition potentially resulting in metabolic issues.

If a cow has a metabolic issue, the likelihood that she will go in-calf decreases, which is why Darmody is also installing the Walk Over Weigh (WOW) for better health monitoring of his cows.

The system will offer him daily information on the weight of the cows and ensure that cows that are losing condition are detected early.

This removes another task that would have required skilled labour; it also reduces the labour requirement per cow and ensures that no cows are missed.

He plans to use the system to monitor his cows in the lead-up to breeding season to ensure that cows are in the correct condition at the time of service.

It will also allow him to identify cows that have lost condition and not regained it and thus will likely not go in-calf.

By ensuring that only cows in correct condition are being bred, this should result in better conception rates.

Having seen how successful the heat and health monitoring system was, Andrew has continued to adopt technology available from Datamars Livestock.

He has recently installed the fence monitoring system, which allows him to monitor fences on his farm using his phone.

The tool allows him to monitor the fences on the farm when he is off-farm and alerts will be sent if the voltage on the fence drops.

He added:

He says with that information you can act immediately to resolve the issue.

"What I like about all these products is that although they are all under the Datamars umbrella, they don't all have to be purchased together," Darmody added.

"If you just want to buy one of the products you can and it will work equally as well."

For more information on Datamars Livestock smart farming solutions (and your chance to win one of three Fence Monitoring Starter Kits) click here.