What our customers say

Kristin Quist, a fifth-generation dairy farmer, runs Minglewood Dairy Inc. in Wisconsin together with her family. They lead a team of 20 full-time employees managing a milking herd of 1,200 cows. In December 2024, the family-owned operation received the Dairy First Award from Boehringer Ingelheim and was honored for excellence in milk quality and herd health.

In 2022, the smaXtec system was installed at Minglewood Dairy. Since then Minglewood Dairy has been a prime example of how cutting-edge technology drives real success! With smaXtec Kristin Quist is able to measure the internal body temperature, drinking cycles, water intake, rumination and activity of her cows. The health parameters enable early detection of diseases and significantly reduced the operation’s antibiotic usage.

“We usually catch mastitis 3–4 days before any clinical signs. The smaXtec monitoring has transformed how we manage cow health,” says Kristin Quist.
Also, the impressive herd management together with the smaXtec system lead to an outstanding somatic cell count (SCC). “We take pride in producing clean, high-quality milk. Whenever we hit an SCC goal, we immediately aim for an even lower one,” Kristin Quist shared.

Their genuine passion for dairy farming and commitment to their team and community is inspiring. “We’re always striving to improve. If something’s off, we fix it immediately because we want to do right by our cows,” the farmer concludes.

With an exceptionally low somatic cell count and eyes always set on the next goal, the farmer sums it up best: “Healthy cows and clean milk go hand in hand — and we’re always pushing to improve.”

At B & R Dairy Ltd., New Zealand, the owners Rebecca & Brett Symes have seen remarkable results since introducing smaXtec to their farm.
The smaXtec calving alerts proved to be an essential tool: “Utilising smaXtec has significantly improved this year’s calving management. Especially the calving alerts have been invaluable in identifying cows that are more challenging to detect in the paddock, allowing us to monitor and ensure no recent calvings are overlooked.”

Not only the calving alert, but also the early detection of diseases such as milk fever, ketosis, or mastitis has transformed the farmers’ daily work, especially as winter milkers, when mastitis cases are more common. “The temperature alerts have been a game-changer. This past season, smaXtec’s temperature alerts have given us the ability to pick up mastitis cows early without the need to strip the herd”, so Rebecca Symes.

Early intervention meant zero losses during calving – a major success for herd health and performance.While they’ve always managed a strong somatic cell count, their results this year speak for themselves: “Thanks to the help of smaXtec we’ve just achieved the 9th lowest cell count among all Open Country suppliers in New Zealand.”

As a first-generation dairy farmer, Dan Henning has put in countless hours to build a herd that stands out in both performance and health. His dedication is evident in the impressive results:
“I’m a first generation dairy farmer with a herd averaging 98 pounds on 2x a day with high components and low somatic cell count. I just take pride in my cows and in what I do,” says Dan Henning. For him, the smaXtec system has become invaluable: ”It has become something i can trust and truly rely on.”

Particularly the farmer points out the calving alerts: “The calving alert really helped me to get cows to calve in the maternity pens and not in the close up barn.”

Health has always been a priority for Dan Henning, and the smaXtec technology plays a huge role in maintaining it. “Just overall health has been a big key part from catching cows for ketosis or mastitis. My sold and died numbers went way down, the only time I sell a cow now is for low production,” so the farmer.

The ability to track natural heats in both cows and heifers has been another game changer for Dan Henning: “ It has also helped me pick up a lot of natural heats between cows and heifers i really save on my time and the cost of shots by having so many natural heats.”

By accurately identifying natural heats, he has been able to save both time and money. The insemination costs have decreased, and he’s now breeding more efficiently, thanks to the smaXtec heat detection.

Dan Henning’s success story is built on hard work, smart investments and a commitment to animal health and care.

Kocourek Dairy LLC in Wisconsin decided to switch from a collar system to the smaXtec system – which paid off already within the first six months! During this time Eric Kocourek has reported incredible improvements on his 1,000-cow dairy farm, like reduced cull rates and an improved first service conception rate:
“Thanks to smaXtec’s inner measurements the 30- and 60-day cull rates dropped by ~40% and the first-service conception rate improved by 4.9%.”

With smaXtec he has found the key to long-term dairy farm sustainability:
“smaXtec is far more advanced than any other system on the market and I couldn’t imagine farming without it. It’s a life saver and I’m proud to be a part of the changes it has brought to our farm and many other farms.” –Eric Kocourek.

Since 2022, Tim Gilbert from Gilbert Dairy in Wisconsin, has been using smaXtec to monitor their 600 dairy cows with impressive results in health, reproduction, and efficiency.
Tim Gilbert now detects mastitis and milk fever early, treats quickly, and monitors fresh cows closely to move them into high-performing groups: “The system is a large time saver and the data is irreplaceable for herd health. We now have better insemination rates, our cull rate has gone down because we catch illnesses like mastitis and milk fever right away and treat before it gets out of hand.”

When the farmer first looked into installing the smaXtec system, one thing stood out: how easy it is to use. “The smaXtec app is user friendly and it has to be for old farmers like me – I look at the app more than anything else on my phone!”
With smaXtec, Gilbert Dairy found an easy-to-use system that makes their daily herd management more efficient and less stressful. “smaXtec is a huge part of my life now, as it definitely has made everything easier and less challenging,” Tim Gilbert states.

Dwayne Martin operates a dairy farm with 180 cows in Indiana, US. After installing smaXtec on his farm, he noticed significant improvements, particularly in heat detection, calving indicators, and mastitis detection. “I wanted a system to monitor cow health that was not influenced by outside factors. Since using smaXtec, I’ve seen a huge improvement in my heat detection, which has helped with breeding efficiency.The calving indicator has also been incredibly helpful for better managing the calving process,” says Dwayne Martin.
The system has proven to be an essential tool for his dairy farm. The mastitis detection was the most surprising and impactful benefit for the farmer: “The biggest surprise for me has been the accuracy of detecting mastitis early. With smaXtec, I’ve been able to reduce my somatic cell count (SCC) from 250,000 to around 100,000 – without using any antibiotics. That has made a huge difference in both, the health of my cows and the quality of our milk.” One of the features Dwayne Martin appreciates most is the ability to monitor his herd remotely, which means a reduced workload for him: “I find it incredibly helpful to be able to keep an eye on my cows 24/7, from anywhere, especially since I help manage a few other businesses outside of the dairy farm. Being able to stay connected and make informed decisions, even when I’m not on the farm, is critical for me.”

Fay Willow Farm in Wisconsin has made significant progress in monitoring the health of their fresh cows using smaXtec. Herd manager Tyler Duerst shares, “I am catching issues with fresh cows that I didn’t even know about before. There are cows with milk fever and ketosis that I wouldn’t have known about, and now I’m able to treat those cows and monitor the effects of the treatment with smaXtec.” In addition, they have also been able to detect and treat other diseases early with the help of smaXtec. “Also, smaXtec is catching cows with retained placentas and metritis – cows that I thought were cleaning fine – and I am able to treat those cows, and they are recovering without having to call the vet. I haven’t had to call the vet for a single fresh cow since I started using smaXtec,” he adds.