Sean Teehan

Sean Teehan from Coolderry, Ireland, manages a herd of 70 cows on a spring calving and grass-based system. Seeking innovative solutions to enhance his farm’s productivity and animal health, Sean Teehan decided to adopt the smaXtec health management system in 2023. Since its installation, he has experienced numerous benefits that have optimised his operations and significantly improved the wellbeing of his cows.

Calving made easier

smaXtec has especially helped Sean Teehan with his calving management: “What I really appreciate about smaXtec is that now during calving we’re getting alerts between 12 and 16 hours before a cow is going to calve. I know exactly, for example, that cow is going to calve either tonight or in the morning through the alert, or that we need to watch this cow this evening.” He specifically remembers one case where the timely alerts were invaluable: “There was one cow this year where we got a calving alert, I went out to look on the fields and saw she wasn’t springing. I was sure that the cow was not going to calve, but for peace of mind, I took her out anyway because we were new to the system and wanted to make sure it’s done right. And I can say that she did calve in the following 12 hours.”The system also led to a decrease in resource utilisation and thus costs. “We’re using less straw because we’re keeping the cows on the cubicles for longer. Normally we were drafting out maybe 5 to 6 cows and leaving them on straw because they seemed they were springing, but we’re leaving them now until we get the alert from smaXtec.” Sean Teehan shares, illustrating the immediate impact of smaXtec on his farm.

No milk fever cases thanks to smaXtec

smaXtec has also been crucial in preventing milk fever on his farm: “Another benefit during springtime is that you can act early regarding milk fever. When you’re getting an alert for a cow that could be getting milk fever, you’re getting a temperature decrease alert. Then we’re able to get calcium into the cow and help her early. With smaXtec, we had no milk fever cases this year.”

Less labour-intensive breeding

smaXtec has also revolutionised the breeding process on the farm. “In terms of breeding, smaXtec has really changed our life because it’s less labour-intensive now around breeding season. We’re not tail painting anymore. We’re not watching the cows a couple of times a day to see ‘Are they around? Are they cycling?’”.Another advantage with smaXtec for him is the monitoring of cows with fertility issues: “There were two cows in particular that hadn’t cycled, and we’re already halfway through the breeding season now. We were able to get the vet out to examine them and put them on a cycling program, and we can safely say they came in heat and now they are artificially inseminated.”

Helpful monitoring of water intake

Sean Teehan was particularly impressed by the monitoring of water intake per cow. This enabled the farmer to act extremely quick in one case and avoid bigger health problems in his cows: “Another big advantage of smaXtec would be that you get alerts for the water intake of your cows and heifers. There was one case where I got an alert that the water intake of a couple of cows was low. It turned out that we had a problem with one of our drinking trucks, so it was great to see that I’ll get an alert for that because without smaXtec, we wouldn’t have noticed it that quickly.”

Timely alerts and reduced antibiotic use

Sean Teehan appreciates the timely alerts provided by smaXtec, as they enable him to focus on more important things: “The timely smaXtec alerts make your life an awful lot easier. With smaXtec, our day is less labour-intensive, and you have more time to worry about calves or doing the actual calving. So that was one of the biggest success stories I have with smaXtec.”In addition to making work easier, smaXtec also saves one thing above all: costs. “With smaXtec, we’re using a lot fewer antibiotics. It’s saving a lot more money, and we have fewer tube injections. So using smaXtec definitely is the biggest benefit to the farm.”

“Our quality of life really has changed”

Besides the support in his dairy management smaXtec has also significantly improved the quality of life for Sean Teehan and his family. “Our quality of life really has changed since we started using the smaXtec system because we are able to enjoy our free time now. I’m not worried about which cows are not cycling or which cows are going to calve because I get an alert from smaXtec.” He continues, “Our quality of life is way better. We can do different things now. We can go away from the farm for a couple of hours if we have to, and we know just by a quick look on the app how our cows are doing.”