Fermoy company unveils new technology
New technology developed by Fermoy company CowsDNA, specialists in the reproductive management of beef and dairy cattle, was demonstrated on Thursday last. The presentation of the new USART technology, centered on getting cows in-calf, took place at a farm open day held at Ashdale Farm in Colligan, Dungarvan.
CEO Dan Ryan gave a presentation outlining the potential of his new technology, presenting a programme centered on the ethos of healthy cows for a healthy food chain. Dr Ryan believes the primary focus must be healthy cows at all stages of the production cycle to minimise calving interval which in turn, he says, offers up to a ten-fold return on the service cost to the farmer.
The company’s new technology enables cows to be scanned by a technician utilising animal data and an ultrasound examination. The resulting assessment is attached to the animal’s passport and a herd breakdown based on reproductive health is available for the farmer. This can then be used by the farmer in conjunction with his vet and nutritionist to improve the reproductive performance of his herd.
While traditional scanning of cows has been associated with the identification of pregnancy, Dr Ryan explained that his method focuses on preventative health management. The CowsDNA breeding management technology can be used to optimise calving interval ensuring herd health during transition management of the herd, ensuring fitness of cows prior to breeding and maximising the number of cows available for breeding, as well as maximising the opportunity to get cows submitted for artificial insemination which Dr Ryan claims allows clients to achieve over 90% three-week submissions rates. It also gives early non-pregnancy diagnosis to target resubmission of cows and determines the age and gender of pregnancies allowing for optimum future herd management.
The open day, which featured a number of other speakers and demonstrations, took place in bright sunshine and attracted a large crowd from the agri community across the region.
"I was delighted with the attendance at my demonstration and pleased with the response I received to the new technology," Dr Ryan said.
The company,based at Cullenagh, Fermoy has teamed up with the Centre for Image Processing and Analysis (CIPA) in Dublin City University to develop technology which will enable the automated diagnosis of the ultrasound assessments. That programme, which began almost two years ago, aims to ensure consistent levels of service and ultimately enable a fast turnaround in reporting of herd health status when the cows have been scanned.
Published:
Thursday 9th May 7:14pm
