The challenges modern dairy farmers face leave little room for error. From razor‑thin margins and volatile milk prices, to rising input and borrowing costs and persistent labor shortages, finding operational efficiency is not just valuable, it’s essential.
In order to thrive in this demanding environment, more and more producers are turning to SenseHub® Dairy monitoring. With powerful data and intuitive reports, SenseHub Dairy (previously known as SCR Dairy) helps producers manage cows at the individual level to increase reproductive, health and labor efficiency, while maximizing profitability.
Boost repro rates with unmatched heat detection
A new pregnancy delivers up to $278 in average value for a producer, while each day a cow remains open costs up to $61¹. To Prairie View Dairy producer James Hancock, the value of detecting more heats was readily apparent.
“The breeding alone paid for the entire system within a year,” Hancock said. “We went from breeding for four hours to breeding in an hour and a half. That’s a lot of time to cut down on having cows locked up. And the less time they’re locked up, the more milk you’re making.
“Our breeding completely turned around — it’s as good as I’ve ever seen.”
Improve herd health and well-being²
Taking action early is vital for consistent herd health. And for Joe Osterkamp, owner of Stonegate Farms, the ability to do so has made a massive difference.
“After we installed the activity collars, we were able to find cows that were starting to drop off and get sick a few days earlier than what we typically would find, ”Osterkamp said. “It allowed our guys to intervene before she got sicker, and our production has increased because cows that were dropping off are at peak production levels now.”
Tony Louters, owner of T&C Louters Dairy, says SenseHub Dairy reports helped him solve a metritis issue that was plaguing his dairy for years.
“I was getting high incidents of metritis in my fresh cows. I could never put my finger on what it was,” Louters added. “I put the SenseHub system on, and within the first three weeks of me getting good, strong data, I realized exactly what it was. It was a combination of me moving my cows from the dry pen and I was giving some shots and some vaccinations, but I was doing too much at one time and I was causing the cows to go off feed. So I did everything a week earlier, and literally overnight that problem went away.”
Less time finding cows means more time caring for them
There’s one tool on the dairy that producer Marty Burken can’t imagine life without — his SenseHub Dairy sorting gate.
“The sort gate does things that two or three people can’t do,” the Blue Hyll Dairy producer said. “It sorts out cows that are in heat, and not only in heat, but when they should be inseminated. We just pull the whole pen out and in 10 minutes we have all the cows we need. It makes it very, very simple.”
Osterkamp says it’s made a good team even better. Now his employees can spend time where they’re needed most.
“We have a very strong group of people, and it’s allowed them to work smarter, not harder,” Osterkamp said. “They care about the animals, and the sort gate allows them to do their job more efficiently.”
Establish long-term performance right from the beginning
As the leading dairy monitoring provider, SenseHub Dairy is the only monitoring system that can provide insights into calf behavior as soon as 27 hours after birth. This provides producers with valuable data at a critical time in the calf’s life, allowing them to make more confident decisions that will set calves up for better performance as a cow. Earlier detection of abnormal behavior can lead to earlier intervention with the right decision and action at the right time. This proactive approach to calf raising can lead to healthier calves and heifers at first breeding, with the potential for earlier conceptions and more cows entering the milking herd sooner.
Lumar Dairy producer Louie Borba spent years trying to improve his calf program. After he installed SenseHub Dairy Youngstock, everything clicked into place.
“We’ve looked at the data,” Borba said. “Our treatments are down, our reoccurrences are down and our death loss is down.
“We’re just taking better care of our calves, plain and simple.”
Support is with you every step of the way
SenseHub Dairy goes beyond the equipment and technology. Producers are supported through every step of their journey to get the absolute most from their system. And reports are customizable by dairy, ensuring producers get what they need when they need it.
“We’re always checking in throughout the year with our producers,” Merck Animal Health Customer Success Specialist Sarah Anderson said. “I’ll reach out, have a conversation about how it’s going and how they’re using it and maybe give them some ideas or other ways it can help in their situation.”
For any producer looking for whole-dairy improvements, the answer is clear. SenseHub Dairy helps producers eliminate guesswork, optimize resources, keep cows comfortable and boost herd-wide productivity. Just ask any neighbor that’s installed SenseHub Dairy.
“It’s made me a better dairy producer,” Burken added. “There are endless possibilities with this system.”
To see how SenseHub Dairy fits with your operation, learn more at SenseHub-Dairy.com or talk with your Merck Animal Health rep.
¹De Vries A. Economic value of pregnancy in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci. 2006 Oct;89(10):3876-85. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72430-4. PMID: 16960063.
²Stangaferro ML, Wijma R, Caixeta LS, Al-Abri MA, Giordano JO. Use of rumination and activity monitoring for the identification of dairy cows with health disorders: Part I. Metabolic and digestive disorders J. Dairy Sci. 99:7395–7410.
Copyright © 2025 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Merck’s products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Merck Animal Health shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease in animals. For the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of disease in animals, you should consult your veterinarian. The accuracy of the data collected and presented through this product is not intended to match that of medical devices or scientific measurement devices.
