Farm tests heat detection technology

Sep 13, 2023

A project underway on a Saskatchewan farm is testing technology that determines when a cow is in heat.

SenseHub Cow-Calf is new for the beef sector, although the dairy industry has used the technology for a while.

Dr. Sam Wauer, associate director of cattle veterinary services at Merck Animal Health, said an Allflex Sense Hub ear tag placed in a female at least two weeks before she is due to be bred will collect data 24-7.

The tag establishes a baseline from movement and behaviour data points, and a change in that baseline indicates the optimum breeding window. The producer’s phone will receive an alert and the ear tag will flash when that occurs.

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Video: Stress as a Nutrient Thief - Dr. Sarah Pearce

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/1...

"Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses."

Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce / sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5 earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms.