The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.
Leading dairy innovator, smaXtec, has launched TruDrinking, a new function which accurately records each individual cow’s water intake. This latest technological advancement is an industry first, further advancing the sector-leading health monitoring system to support dairy producers in optimizing milk production and animal management.
“Water is often the forgotten nutrient in dairy herds,” says Mr. Howarth. “If a cow drinks too little, her feed intake will reduce, and her milk yield will drop. With TruDrinking, farmers can immediately detect any disruption to normal water consumption. This can be an early indicator of emerging health problems or flag a technical problem with the water supply.”
The technology behind TruDrinking records how often and how much water each cow consumes daily. Data is retrieved directly in the cow’s reticulum using a unique bolus and AI-supported applications which measure internal changes to body temperature after each drinking cycle. TruDrinking reliably tracks water intake, which is monitored without any additional effort using smaXtec’s system.
Since drinking behavior is an important indicator of health, TruDrinking provides particularly valuable information around calving. Only when a cow takes in enough water is her appetite stimulated and an optimal feed intake guaranteed. This insight provides invaluable early detection to prevent costly metabolic diseases.
TruDrinking also highlights facility or management challenges such as water supply failures, contamination, stray voltage, or overcrowding. This reduces the amount of time spent checking drinkers, as smaXtec alerts operators in the event of irregularities, helping to reduce labor costs.
“The addition of TruDrinking to the smaXtec system provides even deeper insights into animal health and further supports dairy producers in keeping their herds healthier, their milk yields consistently high and their farms more sustainable and successful,” Mr. Howarth adds.
TruDrinking is integrated into the existing smaXtec system and is immediately available as a new function to all smaXtec customers without further intervention.
