WelFarm works around your daily farming schedule to provide you with real time data to help you make informed decisions.
Regular dentist check ups can hurt your back pocket at the time, but can prevent a much bigger bill and a lot more pain down the track.
Proactively monitoring herd health and welfare can offer the same protection and, with rising costs, public perception pressures and competitive markets, more farmers are seeing the value in it.
WelFarm is a web-based programme that has been built around the principle of measuring and managing. It was built by vets who identified some key areas of herd health and welfare and, by monitoring them throughout the season, you are given chances to make changes as required.
By bringing all the information into one place you can work with your vet to understand the bigger picture of what is going on with your herd, have the assurance of what is going well and where there are opportunities to improve.
There are a raft of benefits to proactive monitoring that can appeal to any type of farmer and align with everyone’s unique values:
Assurance
All types of farmers can have assurance when the vet - an animal health expert - is regularly connected to the herd. Vets can help catch potential issues before they escalate and cost the farm business a lot more to fix and in lost productivity.
Trust
For the manager, data can be utilised to demonstrate that they are doing a good job for their herd owners and be showcased to future employers.
Social licence
Farmers are becoming more aware of public perception and feeling like they are under a magnifying glass. Being involved in a proactive herd monitoring programme, like WelFarm, can give you confidence, knowing that you have data to cover your backside should you ever need it.
Peace of mind
Have peace of mind, knowing you are doing the best for your herd and that you will have an opportunity to pick up on anything that may start slipping. It is also helpful to receive positive feedback when things are going right, which can be valuable for a herd owner.
Driving efficiency
A lot of time can be wasted trying to resolve a herd health issue where proactive management can be time budgeted and prevent the issue in the first place. And, if issues are raised, it is usually early enough to scope out the plan clearly.
If managers are trying to pitch a business case for things they may need for the herd, data can provide evidence to assure owners it is a necessary spend. For example, sourcing feed based on body condition score results, or using lameness figures to support race repairs or staff training.
Economic gains
Data can help determine the potential gains from improvement. Using proactive monitoring to save one cow, or to lift reproductive performance results by just a few percent, could mean the monitoring programme has paid for itself.
Benchmarking
Sometimes targets can feel unobtainable, but a benchmark is the reality of what is being achieved. It also pays to benchmark against yourself, to see if your efforts are working or if you need to try a different tactic.
We know the industry is changing and there could be more requirements in the future, so engaging in proactive herd health and welfare monitoring could help you stay ahead of the game.
Talk to your KeyVet about proactive monitoring for your herd using WelFarm.
