Nathan Radue

“smaXtec rumination monitoring allows me to tell if the ration adjustments I made are working.”

Nathan Radue is managing his operation Hickory Grove Farm with 250 dairy cows in Maribel, Wisconsin. The biggest change since he installed smaXtec as a health system is: “It is how I look at the cows now and my ability to better detect health problems through using the smaXtec system”, says Radue. smaXtec was installed in October 2022 and supports the farmer in managing the herd’s health and feeding. “I like the being able to monitor my fresh cows more closely using the smaXtec system”, says Radue. “I have the capability to know exactly what my fresh cows are doing before I step out of the house each morning.” Nathan Radue is also very pleased with the smaXtec rumination measurement and group monitoring features. “The feed management portion of the smaXtec system is great. The group rumination is a great tool to help me monitor rations and overall group health.”

“smaXtec has helped improve cow health on the farm”

Temperature is the first indicator of an infection. smaXtec sends temperature alerts 3-4 days before any clinical signs are present. Early detection of mastitis and other common infections is one of the biggest benefits of smaXtec for Nathan Radue. “Temperature is key to catching mastitis early. I use more probiotics and aspirin now at that first temperature increase alert and can see the results almost instantly through the constant monitoring provided by smaXtec”, says Radue. “smaXtec has helped me make management decisions with those chronic cows. Looking at the cow’s history on smaXtec, I can decide which cows need to leave the herd.” For Nathan Radue smaXtec is also a useful tool to check on his feeding management. “When cows are experiencing decreased rumination alerts due to ration problems, the smaXtec system allows me to tell if the ration adjustments I made are working based on improving ruminations”, explains the farmer.