TRUDRINKING was launched in November 2022 and is the first-of-its-kind feature that measures the water consumption of cows and can immediately detect irregularities in water provision or cow health . The bolus also records inner body temperature , rumination and activity , giving dairy farmers the ability to identify any possible health issues in the cows long before visible signs may appear .

Competing as one of three finalists selected from a shortlist of 25 entries , smaXtec ’ s global sales director , Chris Howarth , collected the award during Dairy-Tech at Stoneleigh Park following a product presentation

to a panel of judges at the Innovation Hub .

Deciding this year ’ s winner were , dairy farmer and competition chair , Tim Downes , CIEL ’ s Head of Innovation , Dr Mark Young , and Michael Halliwell , Commercial Director of last year ’ s winning product , Cattle Eye .

“ The judging panel were excited about the TruDrinking technology as a way of monitoring water intake and also temperature and saw this when linked to the smaXtec app as being a great tool for early detection of both sickness and calving ,” says Mr Downes .

“ Being able to check if cows are drinking sufficient water has a huge impact on milk yield and

cow health . In a strong lineup of entries this was a worthy winner of the RABDF Dairy Innovation Award and was well received by the audience who wanted to know more .”

When smaXtec were announced as the winner , Mr