Progressive Times Fall 2015 MN Select Sires Volume1 | Page 2

they are enrolled in OvSynch
2. Breeding more cows at the
optimal time of insemination
3. Three months after all the
breeding cows had CowManager tags (tags are currently
put on as animals enter the
prefresh
"To be able to look up any cow, at any time, on my phone pen), tail
and make decisions in real time has been very benefi- chalking
cial to me."
Mike Johnson, Trailside Holsteins LLC was eliminated
(they no longer hire a company
to do that), saving them money.
Mike notes, “At this point, I was

timed OvSynch program. This is
probably one of the factors that
has contributed to Trailside’s repro
analysis summary showing that the
percent of cows confirmed pregnant
at less than 150 DIM has jumped
from 36% before CowManager was
installed to 45% now.

Utilizing Modules Together

Using the health module in
conjunction with the fertility module
to confirm heats is one of the “biggest benefits” of CowManager,
notes Mike. In their herd when a
cow is actually in heat, rumination
time decreases and eating time
increases. Mike explains that this
helps him separate the cows that
are actually in estrus from the ones
that have increased activity from
pen moves, cystic cows and false
heats.

Detecting Health Problems
Sooner

Trailside Holsteins LLC will be featured in a
virtual farm tour on Saturday at World Dairy
Expo. The Johnson family includes Levi, Margaret, Mike, Jon, Sharon and (in front) Sawyer.

confident enough in the system
to stop tail chalking and it’s
been going great.”
Mike also notes that with CowManager they are catching more
cows in
"Select Sires is a progressive company that I look forheat at
ward to partnering with well into the future."
19-22

Mike Johnson, Trailside Holsteins LLC days
since
last heat and identifying cows that
come into heat early or late on the

Prior to CowManager, Trailside
really didn’t have any tools to monitor cow health. With CowManager,
early detection of mastitis, fresh
cow illnesses and subclinical respiratory infections has been substantial. “I am treating cows sooner,
which sometimes means I am able
to use supportive medications
instead of antibiotics,” states Mike.
Then, he uses temperature, eating
time, rumination time and activity
time to determine if the treatment
is working or if further action is
needed. “I am definitely catching
the majority of sick cows earlier.
In most cases, there is a faster
recovery and the cows bounce back
sooner.” Because Mike constantly
looks at the information, he can
take immediate action to intervene
if a cow only temporarily responds
to treatment and then takes a turn
for the worse.
Mike concludes, “The service I
have received during and after the
installation of the CowManager
system has been extremely valuable and timely. Select Sires is a
progressive company that I look
forward to partnering with well into
the future.”