Lessons from the past: How performance data availability and quality has led...
NeuroCattle
1. NeuroCattle is a service which offers tools for livestock management. The
service improves occupational safety and makes it easier to identify and
handle animals.
NeuroCattle offers the tools for livestock management and animal identification
NeuroCattle service was developed in co-operation with farmers and abattoirs. Thus
the service was developed to match the real need and to make everyday life easier.
Because the service operates in the Internet it is always available and the version is
ready for use without laborious software updating.
2. • Designed for farms, the system's main function is the wireless collection of livestock data
straight from the field.
• The system facilitates animal monitoring and identification and the management of various
farm activities.
• NeuroCattle is suitable for farms with bovines, suckler cows, dairy, pigs, sheep, camels and
reindeer. The service can also be used on farms which rear falcons. The service can also be
tailored to suit other animal species if required.
Greatest advantages of the NeuroCattle system
Time and money saved
– Group functions save a significant amount of time and reduce expenditures.
– Electronic tags can be read more quickly and reliably.
– Overlapping tasks can be eliminated thanks to real-time system functioning.
– Added cost-effectiveness.
– Some of the Finnish abattoirs will pay more for an animal if NeuroCattle is in use.
Quick and effortless temperature monitoring when temperature-sensing tags are used
– Enables timely response to fevers.
– Can help with optimising inseminations.
Improved occupational safety
– Electronic tags allow animal identification without handling the animal.
– As an example, one Finnish insurance company has found that NeuroCattle improves
occupational safety and therefore gives a discount to the personal loss-of-profits
insurance for those clients who are using NeuroCattle service.
Improves animal welfare
– When an electronic tag is in use, handling is less stressful to animals.
3. Internet-based animal monitoring and management service
NeuroCattle system is a service designed for agricultural farms to make animal
tracking, identification and farm management easier. At its minimum the service
includes Internet-based software, palmtop software and handheld reader. Electronic
tags are also required for the animals. Panel readers, scales and weighing cages are
also available in the service. NeuroCattle was designed to save time and money and
it was designed in co-operation with farmers. Co-operation with farmers guarantees
that the service corresponds to their needs. It improves safety for both animals and
their human handlers during transport and identification of animals.
NeuroCattle is based on the use of electronic RFID recognition and wireless data
transfer on farms. An electronic ear tag is a small ID chip which makes animals easier
to identify. It stays in place well, and is suitable for agricultural use thanks to its
durability and well-protected site of attachment. Electronic identification reduces
the chance of reading and recording errors. Electronic ear tags thus ensure quick and
easy identification of individuals at every stage of the production chain.
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NeuroCattle technology
• Connections are SSL encrypted, just as in online banking.
• The palmtop can use a WLAN, GPRS or 3G connection.
• A handheld reader or a panel reader is used for individual identification. These
have wireless connections to the palmtop (Bluetooth).
• The user is connected to the service via an Internet connection.
• Centralised database for all data searching and recording.
• Supports all ISO standard ear tags.
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An electronic ear tag is smaller than a
visual ear tag. It stays much more
permanently in the animal's ear than a
traditional ear tag and it does not fall off
easily. Thus it is ensured that the animal
can always be identified quickly and
easily.
4. Greatest advantages of the NeuroCattle system
System benefits for beef, suckler cow, and dairy farms
• Information on exact locations of the animals on the farm
− The service displays locations according to the stall or pasture
information
− Quick, reliable way to determine which animals are in a stall
• Real-time event recording
− After it's been saved the information is immediately available for
other users on the farm
• The programme provides lists of livestock data
− Animals to be marked for trade
− Animals to be marked for slaughter
− Birthing animals
− Animals in oestrus
− Animals to be inseminated
• User management
− Farm-specific users and user management
• System facilitates animal weight monitoring
− Daily growth between weigh-ins
− Farm- and breed-specific target weights
− Ratio between the amounts of feed and weight development
• Numerous types of identification data can be used
− Electronic animal identification tags
− EU IDs
− Farm-specific ear tags
− Breed registry IDs
• Pedigree information
• Estimated birthing times of pregnant females
• Birth information
− Insemination data
− Breeding bull ID
− Insemination date
− Insemination success rate
− Who carried out the insemination
• Safety information for animal caretakers
− Cow’s disposition, etc...
• Compatible with LELY robotic milking system
• In Finland, connection to official registry
− Possibility to also build official connections to the registers in other
countries, when needed
5. System benefits for sheep and goat farms
• Information on exact locations of the animals on the farm
− The service displays locations according to the stall or pasture
information
− Quick, reliable way to determine which animals are in a stall
• Real-time event recording
− After it's been saved the information is immediately available for
other users on the farm
• Reports based on livestock data available
− Animals to be slaughtered
− Animals by location
− Animals' weight and daily growth
• User management
− Farm-specific users and user management
• System facilitates animal weight monitoring
− Daily growth between weigh-ins
− Farm- and breed-specific target weights
− Ratio between feeds and weight development
• Numerous types of identification data can be used
− Electronic animal identification tags
− EU IDs
− Ear tags
− Farm-specific ear tags
• Pedigree information
• Estimation of the lambing period for pregnant sheep
• Service groups
− Service times
− Possibility to form service groups independent of locations, for
example: 2 stalls can form one service group or stalls can be location-
specific
− Born lambs can be marked ewe-specifically
• Animal medication information
• Additional animal-specific notes
• In Finland, connection to official registry
− Sheep and Goat register
• Contact with the abattoirs supporting NeuroCattle service
6. System benefits for pig farms
• Information on exact locations of the animals on the farm
− Programme shows location by stall
• Real-time event recording
− After it's been saved the information is immediately available for
other users on the farm
• Reports based on livestock data available
− Animals to be marked for trade
− Animals to be marked for slaughter
• User management
− Farm-specific users and user management
• Easy weight monitoring
• Numerous types of identification data can be used
− Electronic animal identification tags
− Farm-specific ear tags
• Pedigree information
• Animal medication information
• Information on who most recently modified an animal's data
• Farrowing data
• Pregnancy duration data
− Estimated date of farrowing for pregnant sows
− Warnings if farrowing is overdue
• Breeding data
− Heterospermic semen options
− Indication of insemination success
− User-specific insemination success reports
− Who carried out the insemination
• Sow record
– Automatic entries
– Printing option
• Supports animal management based on weekly rotation
− Animals are automatically grouped according to the week of
insemination
• Additional animal-specific notes
7. System benefits for abattoirs
• Information on animals arriving at the abattoir
− The service displays locations according to the stall or pasture
information
− Quick, reliable way to determine which animals are in a stall
• Real-time event recording
− After it's been saved the information is immediately available for
other users on the farm
• Reports based on livestock data available
− Slaughter records
− Account records
• User management in the abattoir
− Abattoir-specific users and user management
• EUROP classification for the slaughtered animal
− Daily growth between weigh-ins
− Farm- and breed-specific target weights
− Ratio between feeds and weight development
• Record of veterinary inspections
− Ante-mortem inspection
− Post-mortem inspection
• Animal medication information
• In Finland, connection to official registry
11. NeuroCattle background information
ID-Import Oy is a Finnish company who manufactures RFID products and designs
Internet-based applications which help livestock management and improve food and
animal safety. Company rearrangements in 2011 made NeuroAgent Oy a part of ID-
Import Oy.
We offer our customers and partners innovative long-term partnership in the use of
RFID technology in agriculture. Our services are flexible and focused on customer
needs.
Our solutions are easy to use and they can be easily customised according to
customer needs.
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NeuroCattle is a high quality service which was
designed in co-operation with cattle, pig and
sheep farmers.
We can offer a service which brings real
benefits to farmers.