GUELPH, Ont. – Dairy farmers could have access to technology within five years that would allow them to detect infection in cows before it becomes a major herd problem.
Professor Brian McBride and research associate Ousama AlZahal from the University of Guelph’s animal and poultry science department have been working with Oklahoma company SmartStock to fine-tune the software for a telemetric bolus the company manufactures.
The bolus, placed inside the cow’s gut, would regularly record an animal’s rumen temperature and send the information to a computer via an antenna and transmitter installed on the farm.
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It could be programmed to take readings as frequently as the farmer wants.
The company says it will be able to transmit signals up to 90 metres.
Evidence of a rising temperature would give the dairy producer an early warning about an infection or disease, allowing early treatment and quick isolation of the cow from the herd before the infection spreads.
McBride said the bolus, once injected orally, would remain there for life, transmitting information that would give the farmer a detailed record of the cow’s health through temperature variations.
The battery can last for five years or more, depending on the frequency of the reporting.
“This will be an important herd management tool, signaling an infection at an early stage and allowing the farmer to isolate the animal and start treatment,” McBride said.
“I also think it has huge implications for the traceability program. This will provide a lifetime ID of the animal’s health status.”
He said the farm computer could be programmed to call the producer’s cell phone if there is evidence of early infection in a cow.
SmartStock says the system would give dairy herd managers “24 to 48 hours advance notice before the onset of visual signs of illness,” helping manage disease, limit its spread and reduce the costs of medication.
The two-year, $106,000 research project co-funded by Dairy Farmers of Canada and the National Science and Engineering Research Council ends in December. McBride said a product could be available within a few years.
“I would think the horizon is the next five years from the early adaptors,” he said.
AlZahal said the product is at a pre-commercial stage, and it is not yet clear what it would cost.
“We think it can be affordable.” McBride said there is early application of a version of the bolus designed for use in larger feedlots in the United States.
