Johnny Lochhead and his family use continuous cow health monitoring, temperature alerts and heat detection to identify problems as early as possible, support reproduction and manage their 70-cow Brown Swiss herd with greater confidence.
At their farm just south of Dumfries in Scotland, Johnny Lochhead works alongside his wife, Jessica, their children, Hattie and Nancy, and his parents, Gavin and Jane. Together they milk around 70 Brown Swiss cows, with the herd grazing through the summer and relying on hay and grass silage during the winter.
More confidence on the farm: How smaXtec supports cow health on farm
For Johnny, smaXtec has become an important additional source of information in a grazing system where the cows are not always directly visible. “Our situation before smaXtec was just visual observation. So we would just be checking the cows twice a day as we were milking them, or throughout the day when we walked through the fields.”
The family decided to use smaXtec while fundamentally reshaping their business. “We decided to use smaXtec because we reduced our cow numbers and changed how we do business. And at that point, we decided that we needed to make the most from each cow as we could.”
Measurable results: fewer losses, fewer mastitis cases and a shorter calving interval
“The biggest advantage of smaXtec is just that extra pair of eyes that gives us information that even we can’t see.” The continuous measurement of the internal body temperature helps Johnny identify potential problems at the first immune response and decide when a cow needs closer attention. “We get an early indication with temperature increase, and that lets us treat with an anti-inflammatory before a clinical case comes to fruition.”
This has also been reflected in the farm’s health figures: “Our on-farm deaths and our losses at calving have halved in the 12 months since we installed the smaXtec system. Our mastitis cases have halved as well. And we now run 90% of the herd under 200 cell count.” The system also provides alerts relating to potential milk fever, ketosis and calving. For the family, this means they can focus their attention on the cows that need it rather than relying only on routine checks.
Heat detection is especially valuable when the cows are out in the fields. Johnny explains that smaXtec helps the family identify heats that might otherwise be missed. “The smaXtec system is picking up those heats for us, allowing us to inseminate cows and also giving us a better indication of when to inseminate the cows as well. Our calving interval is reduced by over 30 days in the last 12 months. And that’s probably on around 50% of services without seeing standing heat on cows as well.”
Less stress for the cows and more confidence for the family
Johnny checks the system in the morning before milking and reviews the alerts from overnight. When the cows come in, the family already has an idea of which animals may need a closer look. “When we come outside and bring the cows in for milking, we’re already looking out for those individuals to check them and see what’s happening.”
“smaXtec also helps us relax when we get off the farm, knowing that if there are any small issues, we can still pick those up and pass that information back to the people that are looking after the farm.” For Johnny, this has changed not only how the family manages the herd, but also how confident they feel in everyday life on the farm. “Less stress on the cows, they’re not getting as sick, and less stress on us because we’re not worried.”
Why a Scottish dairy farmer recommends smaXtec to other farmers
He sums up: “The biggest difference between before smaXtec and today is we just have confidence in knowing what’s going on with the cows.” And his recommendation is just as clear: “I would definitely recommend smaXtec to other farmers. It’s had a really positive impact on our farm here and our family.”
