PRESS RELEASE
2 July 2014
‘First of its kind’ reproductive service to improve
fertility and boost farm profitability
Cogent Breeding Limited has today used the first day of the 2014 Livestock
Event to launch a new reproductive service which combines the company’s next
generation PinPoint heat detection system with cutting edge cloud-based
technology and Cogent’s unrivalled technical expertise to maximise
improvements in reproductive performance and boost farm profits.
Branded ‘Precision Reproductive Solutions’, the new service brings together
these three key elements to create a unique fertility management solution for
each individual herd. Current users of the system have reported significant
reductions in days to conception (down by an average of 15 days) and
improvements in 21-day pregnancy rates by an average of four percentage
points in the first six months of use.
Critically, there is no cost to the farmer for the heat detection hardware or herd
management software. Instead, Cogent installs the Pinpoint heat detection
system and cloud-based management software and provides a highly trained
technician to facilitate the entire system. Each installation is tailored to the
needs of the individual herd with the farmer paying a fee on a ‘per-cow, perannum’ basis according to the level of input required.
The cloud-based software which sits at the heart of Precision has been
developed exclusively by Cogent and draws together information from across the
farm, collates that data in a single location and allows it to be transferred to and
from third parties such as vets and nutritionists. It also makes it easier to
record and obtain information from milk recording organisations, pedigree
herdbooks and the BCMS.
The new technology is underpinned by a high-quality herd management service
which is delivered by a team of highly-skilled and committed Cogent technicians.
Monthly farm meetings are a core component of Precision, when the farmer gets
together with the farm’s Cogent reproductive specialist and the user’s choice of
advisor, such as nutritionist or vet, who discuss the information collected and
how ongoing improvements in fertility can be made. The customer is also able
to nominate specialists they’d like to have access to the information, available as
either a paper copy or for PC, laptop or SmartPhone.
Speaking at the Livestock Event at the NEC in Birmingham, Michael Phillips from
Cogent explained that Precision is the latest Cogent venture targeted at
improving farm profitability.
“Modern dairy farming businesses generate a huge amount of valuable data,
which if processed and analysed properly can help farm and herd managers
make better informed management decisions. All too often, however, a lot of
this data remains unused, or at worst, misinterpreted,” Mr Phillips explains.
“Cogent has therefore developed Precision to enable dairy farmers to harness
the power of technology so that they can manage this data effectively to get the
most from their herd. The technology is fully supported by our expanding team
of fully trained and dedicated AI technicians, all of whom offer not only the very
best AI service, but are also trained to help customers improve whole herd
fertility.
“Precision’s new cloud-based software completes the service by making it easy
to access the data generated by PinPoint and the AI technician’s report together
with fertility or veterinary information from any source,” Mr Phillips adds. “By
collating this key data into one centralised format, farmers and herd managers
are able to have a more thorough understanding of each cow and are therefore
able to make better, more informed management decisions that are right for
each individual animal and for the herd as a whole. That in turn paves the way
to more profitable milk production.
“The system’s ability to send information to BCMS and MROs (Milk Recording
Organisations) has also cut duplication and slashed paperwork on the farms
already using the service,” Mr Phillips adds. “But most important of all has been
the significant improvement in reproductive performance that these farms have
already seen. These include an average reduction in days to conception of 15
days and an improvement in 21-day pregnancy rate of four percentage points in
their six months of use.
“Put simply, Precision delivers more pregnancies, improves milk yields and saves
precious time. It is the fertility management service every herd needs and
every farmer has been crying out for,” Mr Phillips concludes.
Cogent will be demonstrating how its Precision Reproductive Solutions work
throughout the Livestock Event on stand GE34.
-EndsNotes to editors
 Cogent offers its customers a full AI service which is delivered by experienced and
highly-regarded AI technicians.
 Cogent is the pioneering business behind sexed semen technology and supply and is
the UK market leader. It is wholly owned by the Grosvenor Estate, and from its
headquarters on the Grosvenor Estate in Cheshire, has established a market-leading
reputation for its world-class UK breeding programme.
 Cogent's distinguished selection of high reliability UK proven bulls offers dairy and
beef farmers an unprecedented combination of production, type and value.
 In 2011, Cogent acquired the business and marketing rights of World Wide Sires UK,
the highly-regarded cattle-breeding business, and Dairy Daughters, the UK’s first
direct supplier of Holstein semen. These businesses remain a key part of the Cogent
business, and Cogent remains the exclusive supplier of WWS US products in the UK.
For more information, please contact Joanna Warchol on 01244 622 044 or via email at
Joanna.warchol@cogentuk.com
The text from this news release can be downloaded directly from the
Agriculture/Livestock section of the ABC (Agribusiness Communications Ltd) Press Centre
at www.abccomms.co.uk