Eoghan McCarthy and his wife Sinéad run a spring-calving dairy farm in Callanafersy, located in Milltown, Co. Kerry, where they milk approximately 155 cows.
Parents of Niamh (12) and Dylan (10), Eoghan and Sinéad supply their milk to Kerry Group. Just over a year ago, the McCarthys installed SenseHub Dairy as they “wanted to get the full potential out of the cows”.
“After speaking to several farmers who already had SenseHub, and given our previous relationship with MSD Animal Health, we met with the team and it was clear to us how simple and user-friendly SenseHub was for us, so it was a very straight forward decision.”
Maximising Productivity
SenseHub monitors cows on a minute-by-minute basis, assisting users to maximise productivity, improve breeding decisions while also saving time and labour.
“The biggest advantage we’ve noticed to date has been on labour,” said Eoghan. “SenseHub is very accurate, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It doesn’t take any time off,” he jokes. “It really is like having an extra family member working full-time alongside you.”
Support Available
Regarding the customer support that comes with installing SenseHub, Eoghan continued: “If we ever find ourselves in any trouble, the SenseHub team is always there to help at the other end of the phone, ready to go through the relevant reports and details.
“We also work extensively with the ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation), and we make sure that all our ICBF reports are up to date, whether it’s selective dry cow or our breeding policy. The fact that SenseHub is integrated with that database is very important because all of our reports are readily available.”
Improved Safety Levels
“This year, we no longer had to use a vasectomised bull so from a safety point of view in terms of our children, Niamh (12) and Dylan (10), the relief milkers as well as myself, to no longer have a bull running with the cows was a huge benefit to us,” said Eoghan.
Eoghan already had an Alfco drafting gate installed on the farm, however he explained how both SenseHub, and his existing drafting system work seamlessly together.
“I refer to the SenseHub App on my phone each morning or evening at milking time. This list of cows that are on heat is in front of you; some cows might not be in the opportune window for breeding, so they’re left until the following morning.”
“We punch the numbers into the drafting gate of the cows we want to serve, and that’s another big job done for us. The fact SenseHub works seamlessly with our existing drafting gate is another huge positive.”
Working in collaboration with his vet
SenseHub also provides health alerts when an animal has a health issue, Eoghan said: “If I’ve a vet coming in to see a cow that is off form, SenseHub shows information which offers really practical assistance. For example, it flagged a cow with Ketosis earlier this year.”
“The vet and I went then through her report, and we could see when she stopped eating and how the cow wasn’t ruminating the way she should have been. He was able to use that report to analyse what was wrong with the cow – another great benefit of having the system.”
Eoghan had a clear message to farmers yet to go down the SenseHub route: “Go for it. There’s a TAMS grant available currently which is a worthwhile incentive. If you want to get the very best out of your animals and your farm, I couldn’t recommend SenseHub more highly. It’s a labour unit that never stops working.”
