To mark the anniversary of 50 years since our establishment in 1969, we held our biggest event yet – the StowAg Show. Many of our customers attended, not to mention our suppliers! One of our suppliers, Allflex, held a competition in which participants had the opportunity to win an installation of their SenseHub Beef technology. The winner of this prize was one of our longstanding customers Don Gilder, from Pinnock Wood Farm near Winchcombe. Since the installation last year, Don has been experiencing the many benefits of this new technology from Allflex. Let’s find out more!
What is SenseHub?
SenseHub is a flexible, high-performance Beef Cow monitoring that meets needs today and long into the future, bringing a new management solution to the beef cattle sector. A smart, modular cow monitoring solution with cutting-edge technology, SenseHub Beef delivers actionable information on the reproduction, health, and well-being status of individual cows and groups. With SenseHub Beef, farmers can make data-driven decisions for maximised productivity and improve beef herd breeding decision-making capabilities.
Don, tell us a little bit about you and your farming establishment.
“I farm in partnership with my wife and have been at Pinnock Wood Farm for 32 years. We are an all-grass enterprise running 60 cows – primarily Salers with some Angus Cows. We typically use Angus Bulls and Salers Bulls used to breed our own herd replacements. All our calves are sold as yearlings for further feeding and because of our High Herd Health Status, we also sell surplus Heifers for breeding.
We have also diversified into an alternative enterprise including a caravan site and a Shepherds Hut, which we let out for short-term holidays.”
How have you found Allflex’s SenseHub so far?
“We had only just installed the SenseHub prior to calving starting. We saw immediate benefits, such as getting notification of cows starting to calve, and more so if they were at all distressed. We are now getting data through showing cows that are coming into heat and not physically showing. No doubt we are likely to get more benefits as time progresses.”
How long have you known StowAg and what has your experience been with them?
“We have been dealing with StowAg for 32 years. As a company you have always delivered a good service, which was greatly improved since moving to the site at Longborough. We find the service good and the members of staff are more than willing to help, especially if you require some goods which are not necessarily a stock item.”
A sincere thank you to Don Gilder for agreeing to participate in our blog feature! It’s great to be supporting our loyal customers and enabling them to run their establishments efficiently and effectively. We look forward to creating more content in the future, as we work with our farming community to keep the countryside working. Together, let’s keep backing British farming!