Knowledge Center
AfiCollar and AfiLab Uncovered How Costly a Cup of Coffee Can Be
When it comes to herd management, there’s countless variables that can negatively impact performance and profitability. And the root cause isn’t always easy to see.
Time to Automate Your Dairy Farm!
If you’re ready to automate your farm or you want to ramp up your automation, check out some of the Afimilk products mentioned in this article and explore how they can help you achieve your goals.
Waste Not. Want Not!
The farm is home to 1800 dairy cattle, with 1200 Holstein cows calving annually. Robhoek is spread across 240 hectares of irrigated ryegrass pasture and plants 60 hectares of maize for silage annually. The solutions presented here enable the farm to save costs on food and supplements as well as ensure that each cow is fed a diet tailored to its nutritional needs.
AfiCollar in Action! Based on the Real-Life Experience on Robhoek Farm, SA
A collar worn around the neck of each cow continuously measures neck movements providing accurate real-time information regarding each cow’s rumination and eating time, and neck activity (useful in heat detection). The data from the collars allows farmworkers to extrapolate critical information regarding cow health and wellbeing in real-time.
The “Weigh” to Higher Profit!
The story of a professional farmer who uses the AfiSort and Weigh system which identifies, weighs, and sorts the cows according to where they should go at each milking. Sort and Weigh helps him achieve important efficiency targets on the farm.
The Benefits of Monitoring Eating and Rumination in Individual Cows
As every dairy farmer wants his/her farm to perform to the highest level, it pays to track eating and rumination patterns so that any changes can be dealt with appropriately and any issues or problems can be quickly remedied.
Study Shows Powerful Performance Benefits to be Gained from Tracking Eating and Rumination
A groundbreaking study carried out by the School of Agriculture and Environment at Massey University, New Zealand, found a powerful link between eating and rumination tracking using an Afimilk Cow collar and performance benefits on dairy farms.
The Benefits of Tracking Cow Behavior as a Group
As a farmer, you may know every cow in your herd by sight. You may even have named them all and know each one’s individual quirks and habits. While there are tremendous benefits to monitoring each cow individually – especially when it comes to fertility – there are situations when group monitoring is equally as important and more efficient.
Healthy Cows, Healthy Profits!
Everything you need to know about successful cow health monitoring
4 Daily Insights Every Farmer Needs for Efficient Farm Management
The goal of every farmer is to have a profitable farm that is run efficiently and smoothly. This goal has been around for generations, but
Those Were The Days… Or Were They? The Changing Lifestyle of the Dairy Farmer
Farmers have long been appreciated for the sacrifices they make to ensure our supermarkets are stocked with an abundance of produce. That said, the traditional image of the dairy-farmer rising before dawn to milk the cows while his dedicated wife hand-rears the calves and the kids rake out the cowsheds seems far-fetched today.
It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Most Effective Way to Track Cows in Heat
They say that timing is everything. This is definitely true when it comes to inseminating cows – the timing must be perfect in order for the insemination to result in conception.
When conception rates are maximized, cows become pregnant at the optimal time to ensure that milk production remains at its optimum level, resulting in healthy cows and a healthy bottom line for the farm. Despite the critical importance of conception rates, only 35-45% of cows get pregnant on the first insemination.
How to monitor energy balance using in-line milk testing
The physiological condition of any animal is reflected in the components of its body fluids, such as milk in a dairy cow. Using an optic sensor, we can measure milk composition (fat, protein, lactose and blood) for each cow during every milking.
Afimilk Projects
Afimilk Projects has vast worldwide expertise in setting up dairy farming projects from large-scale operations to small farms.
Afimilk MPC
Get full control over milking process at every milking point – for healthier udders.
Feeding cows as individuals will optimise yields and profits
Treating cows as individuals and going back to thinking like a cowman rather than a herdsman will optimise yields and profits, said South African dairy farmer Nigel Lok at this week’s British Cattle Breeders Club Conference, Telford.
Activity monitors: More than just heat detection
To assure cows calve at optimal intervals and maintain milk production at peak levels of efficiency, it is necessary to constantly keep a close eye on the cows, which isn’t always an easy task. Automated heat detection systems are making this possible in today’s industry. However, most systems on the market, including AfiAct, provide the producer with more that just a heat detection tool.
Chasing a dream: One woman’s fight for a dairy farm life
When we put Leontien VandeLaar on the cover of our 2011 “Women in dairy” issue, we knew she had a powerful story – but we were blown away by just how many connected with the Indiana dairywoman.
Israeli dairy herd firm wins huge Belarusian tender
AfiMilk won 12 million-euro tender to provide its advanced milking parlors to locations around the Eastern European country.
AfiLab for Ketosis detection
In-Line Milk Lab consists of two sensors for decision support and early detection of health issues.
Afimilk needs & solutions
We are here to provide diary producers with the technology and knowledge to profitably produce high quality milk.
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Cow Activity Monitor
Dairy producers have long understood the importance of visual cues in determining cows’ fertility and health status. Since round-the-clock observation can be impractical and labor-intensive, especially on larger operations, many dairies are now turning to technology for cow monitoring solutions.
Calving Alert Systems: Know Exactly When Your Cow is Calving
Technology takes monitoring cows at calving time to a new level. Knowing when a cow is going to calve can improve calf and cow survivability as assistance can be provided during difficult calvings and colostrum can be fed promptly after birth.
Using conductivity for early mastitis detection
Early detection of mastitis is considered the best option to allow cows a quick recovery. Mastitis detection by seeing clinical signs, may prove challenging in large farms with high throughput or in cases of subclinical mastitis that doesn’t show clinical signs yet. New technologies automatically detect mastitis, before the cows show clinical signs.
Detecting lameness earlier using an activity behaviour system
Lameness is one of the most common and most economically destructive production diseases of dairy cows. It is associated with a reduction in milk yield and fertility and an increase in culling rate and medical costs.
How to improve heat & estrus detection in dairy cattle
The onset of estrus in dairy cattle is accompanied by changes in physiological activity, rumination and feeding behavior. These alterations can be monitored via direct observation or through the use of automatic sensors.
Oregon State cows monitored 24-7 with telemetric monitoring system
The Dairy Research Center at Oregon State University served as the first U.S. farm to test out a new telemetric monitoring system. The system included a leg pedometer that measured steps and lying downtime, two types of in-line probes that measured milk production, and a scale that weighed each cow after every milking.
Milking Israel’s dairy expertise in Vietnam
New Zealand cows arriving by the boatload in Vietnam as part of an Israeli-led.
Innovative technology for automatic washing
Polish company Polanes Milking System have used innovative technology to produce Aquatronic for use in milking parlours. The device includes two main components – the Aquatronic controller and the Aquabox unit.
The unstoppable advance of heat detection systems
Dairy farmer Johannes Loubser was very enthusiastic about his heat detection system in HI`s reproduction series. South Africa is not alone. Around the world, thousands of farmers trust their “assistant”, who for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, tirelessly signals which cows are in heat. Three specialists and farmers from Europe, Israel and U.S. share their experiences.
Israeli design forms basis for modern South African farm
The most southern province of South Africa is called Western Cape. This region has the largest dairy operations in the country as well as the most registered Holsteins. Because the area is not suitable for the production of high-quality forage, they are very focussed on performing as well as possible in all aspects – here is their story.
They share their best buys
With today’s high production costs, spending your money wisely is more important than ever. Simply said, investments must pay for themselves. We asked Hoard’s Dairyman where they get the most bang for their bucks.
Heat-stress effects on dairy cattle behavior
Resting time is inversely correlated with milk production and directly correlated with gestation length. Based on readings of thousands of cows fitted with pedometers in multiple farms, Afimilk has measured 500 to 700 minutes per day as the normal resting time for lactating dairy cows.
33 Activity monitors: More than just heat detection
Automated heat detection systems are making this possible in today’s industry. However, most systems on the market, including AfiAct, are able to provide the producer with more than just a heat detection tool.
Online evaluation of milk quality according to coagulation properties for its optimal distribution for industrial applications
Under prevailing practices milk delivered to dairy plants is graded upon reception, according to acceptable standards of hygienic quality. In most countries, these standards include upper limits on transportation temperature, bacterial counts, antibiotic residues, and SCC (McLaughlin, 2006; USFDA, 2007).
Influence of intramammary infection of a single gland in dairy cows on the cow’s milk quality
Intramammary infection (IMI), comprises a group of costly diseases affecting dairy animals worldwide. Many dairy parlours are equipped with on-line computerised data acquisition systems designed to detect IMI. However, the data collected is related to the cow level, therefore the contribution of infected glands to the recorded parameters may be over estimated
Employing AfiLab™ for commercialized real time, on-line milk separation according to its clotting properties
The composition of raw milk for a required dairy product has a direct influence on yield, taste and on process optimization. For cheese manufacturing, these are determined mainly by the level of milk constituents and it’s coagulation properties, i.e., rennet clotting time (RCT) and curd firmness (CF)
Effects of Cow Comfort on Milk Quality, Productivity and Behavior
The behavior of dairy cows is dependent on the interaction between the cows and their physical environment. In the “big picture”, the physical factors of the facility (stall design, flooring type, feed bunk design, environmental quality) impose baseline limitations on how the cows will interact with the housing conditions. Within these limitations, the ability of cows to engage in natural behaviors is further dictated by management routines such as grouping strategy and stocking density
The Multifactorial Approach to Fertility Problems
Feeding for efficient milk production leads in modern dairy practice. Efforts to maintain production and fertility at optimal levels under given market, husbandry and feeding conditions, often fail. Yet, financial
losses for an “open day” are estimated in various studies to be 2.5 to 5.0 US$.
Automated measurement of lying behavior for monitoring the comfort and welfare of lactating dairy cows
Lying behavior is often used as an indication of well-being in cattle and for evaluating the stall quality. The use of electronic data loggers to automate behavioral recording has become increasingly common
General Management Practices – from Heifer to High Producing Dairy Cow
Each stage in an animal’s development is important but there are three main parts in managing females for reproduction. Develop a proper nutritional balance for growing heifers, post-partum cows, and transition cows.
Extra Production – at What Cost?
Under the present prices, farmers use milk substitutes for young calves instead of whole milk, discarded milk (antibiotic or with high SCC) excluded. This amount should be reduced, and
the breach of the biological security should not be underestimated, especially in herds that adopted any disease eradication programs.
Achieving Optimal Cow Performance with the Aid of Information Systems
Control of production Diseases often involves various disciplines and therefore calls for a “multivariate approach”. Such an approach, centered on the herb, had led to the adaptation of integrated programs of the herd health,
New parameters to aid in the diagnosis of disease in post-partum dairy cows
Disease in fresh cows is probably the factor with the most devastating effects on milk production and reproductive performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate parameters that can be easily measured on a farm to determine their ability to detect subclinical disease in fresh cows
Early detection can prevent costly losses
Early detection and intervention are obviously critical for preventing major losses, but the vast majority of ketosis cases are subclinical, meaning there are no overt signs of disease.