Lash Legacy Uses AfiCollar to Streamline Processes, Support Herd Health
Balancing Cow Comfort and Labor Efficiency In central Washington, Kaleb Whitby manages Lash Legacy Dairy, a 4,500 cow operation focused on finding practical ways to use technology to multiply the effectiveness of his team while maintaining strong cow performance. With no headlocks on the farm, Kaleb is focused on minimizing labor-intensive processes while also keeping […]
Balancing Cow Comfort and Labor Efficiency
In central Washington, Kaleb Whitby manages Lash Legacy Dairy, a 4,500 cow operation focused on finding practical ways to use technology to multiply the effectiveness of his team while maintaining strong cow performance. With no headlocks on the farm, Kaleb is focused on minimizing labor-intensive processes while also keeping cows comfortable during Washington’s intense summer heat.
Limited Results from Visual Detection
Before implementing cow monitoring technology, Lash Legacy relied heavily on visual observation and manual tail chalking to manage reproduction. The labor-intensive process depended on employee interpretation and often failed to identify high-producing older cows that showed limited visible heat activity.
At the same time, health and heat stress challenges were largely managed reactively. By the time cows showed obvious signs of illness or declining performance, the opportunity for earlier intervention had often already passed. During periods of extreme summer heat, management had limited visibility into how individual pens or groups of cows were responding until rumination and production had already been affected.
AfiCollar Identifies Trends Before Performance Declines
To improve reproductive performance and create a more proactive management strategy, Lash Legacy Dairy installed Afimilk’s AfiCollars and integrated the system with AfiFarm herd management software and mobile tools. Whitby says Afimilk’s strong dairy focus and support network played a major role in the decision.
The collars continuously monitor rumination, eating time, activity and heat stress data, giving the team real-time visibility into how cows are performing without disrupting cow flow or requiring additional handling. He can quickly review individual cow data or evaluate broader pen-level trends to make faster, more informed decisions throughout the day.
"It's been the added help and support for making decisions that really good dairymen try to make every day."
Proactive Herd Management + Higher Heat Detection with AfiCollar
The impact was immediate. Within two weeks of implementation, Lash Legacy Dairy completely eliminated tail chalking. Heat detection improved significantly, helping increase pregnancy rates and keeping more cows fresh and productive longer into lactation.
The system has also helped the team become more proactive during periods of heat stress. By identifying when specific pens begin showing changes in rumination and activity, management can adjust soaker timing and feeding schedules before performance declines become visible.
Whitby says the biggest value has been the ability to continuously monitor cows and support better day-to-day decision-making across the dairy.
“The number one benefit from the AfiCollar technology is the added eye that is there 24/7 no matter what,” says Whitby. “It gathers that data whether it’s raining or snowing, whether we’ve got heat or not. Really, it’s been the added help and support for making decisions that really good dairymen try to make every day.”
Lash Legacy Dairy at-a-Glance
