Cowconnect is stating that dairy producers can maximise margins, improve efficiencies and reduce the carbon footprint of their operations by retrofitting their mixing wagons with a digital feed management system.
Feedlync enables operators to better control feed costs and improve accuracy, therefore minimising waste and boosting their environmental credentials. In line with this, the system now counts towards Arla’s Sustainability Incentive.
The hardware package consists of an external weighing system and a gateway unit, all of which can be retrofitted to all makes and ages of mixer wagons or diet feeders.
“You can simply ‘pimp your wagon’ and get instant data to help improve efficiencies in weighing and feeding, helping to reduce overspend and increase accuracy,” explained Mollie Cresswell, AB Agri marketing and strategic account manager.
It’s operated via a smartphone app (available on Android and Apple devices) and an online portal and features exclusive features to analyse feed accuracy.
“With the unique loading accuracy heatmap and stock management features, we can monitor operator accuracy and stock levels of all ingredients, with access to real-time updates on forage stocks particularly popular with producers,” explained Ms Cresswell.
“Users will be informed of how many days of forage are left in a clamp or how many days until delivery is required for concentrates. As far as we are aware, no other feed management system delivers these features.”
According to Cowconnect, the ability to see accurate data on consumption, the components of the ration and feed costs can improve feed accuracy by around 4%. As less feed is used to produce a pint of milk, the return on investment is suggested to be just 94 days.
“The Feedlync dashboard enables the producer to see and understand the collected data and costs, and therefore help make informed decisions on how rations are managed and how and when to implement changes,” said Ms Cresswell.
“The system makes it easy to understand the processes and the effects on productivity and profitability, with everything accessible from your smart phone anytime, anywhere!”