Rhonda Bamford

“Calving Alerts are the second-best feature of the smaXtec bolus – right after the temperature alerts.”

Managing 900 dairy cows in Balclutha, South Otago, Rhonda Bamford installed the smaXtec system at Hillfoot Farm Ltd. in March 2024. Since then, the process has become more structured, efficient, and far less stressful for both the team and the cows.

Time savings that matter
Rhonda Bamford explains: “No more running the best guess selection into the shed to be checked. I estimate it saved 20 to 30 minutes every time we had to do it. Precious time we were able to utilise for something else or a longer lunch.”

Optimised calving management
“Last calving season, the amount of time we spent looking for missing calved mums was absolutely minimal”, she shares. When her husband mentioned two cows were missing from the 40 calves collected that morning, Rhonda Bamford scanned the calving alerts, ticked off the confirmed ones, and handed him a shortlist. “Of course, I had to highlight to him the most likely one, and I was correct every time – two twins”, she claims.

A real game changer
Two cows showed no external signs of calving, but the combination of calving and health alerts prompted a check-up: “One was a cow that needed a C-section – both mum and calf saved. Second girl was a terrible presentation that the vet said was likely to be a rotten calving eventually. Good outcome for everyone that day.”

Early detection of metabolic issues
The system also notified us about cows at risk of metabolic problems before and after calving. Rhonda Bamford explains: “The indications of potential metabolic problems before and after calving were super helpful. We were able to provide support to cows that needed it much earlier with the monitoring of the calving alerts and bringing high-risk cows out of the calving area prior to them calving down. Any interventions for these cows were given in a more timely manner.”