A Game Changer at Mating: How SenseHub® Dairy Is Supporting Smarter Decisions

Taking the step into sharemilking is a major move for any farming family. For Rose Faulks and Nathan De Vries, returning home to Oxford in Canterbury taking on a 360-hectare river run dairy farm (owned by Rose’s Father), brought both opportunity and responsibility. In their first year in the dairy industry, they were determined to set themselves up for success. A key part of that plan was committing fully to SenseHub Dairy wearable technology.

A Snapshot of the Farm
The farm covers 360 hectares in total. Of this, 260 hectares are used as the milking platform, while the remaining 100 hectares are used for wintering the cows, and growing calves until they reach 100kg. The land is terraced into three main levels, with the majority of paddocks sitting on flat land. Its river run nature means the soil is very stony and free draining, making it ideal for wintering with minimal pugging, though tough on machinery and requiring plenty of heavy rolling. Just recently they have purchased a 185ha run off block in Springfield just 20 minutes away for the grazing of their young stock.

At peak milk production, the farm milks 840 cows, while rearing 220 calves and managing approximately 200 R2s. They operate a System 3 setup through a 60 bale rotary dairy and the team consists of three staff, plus Rose and Nathan.

Why Go All In on SenseHub Dairy?
When Rose and Nathan began sharemilking, only 500 of the 840 cows were wearing SenseHub Dairy collars. This was primarily due to a financial decision made by Mark when he first purchased the farm and cows four years ago. At that stage Mark employed a manager on the farm and decided to collar only the top performing cows, as the herd had been built up from multiple outside herds. Now fully responsible for the farm’s performance, Rose and Nathan made the call to collar the remaining cows.

“Our farm advisor said, you can’t be half pregnant, so collar the lot,” Rose explains. “It’s our first year in dairy farming, so having that extra layer of information really mitigates risk.”

“We have Trevor to thank for helping get Dad on board with collaring all the cows.”

“It’s our first year in dairy farming, so having that extra layer of information really mitigates risk.”

Winning the Team Over
Introducing new technology doesn’t always come without hesitation. One staff member had previously worked on a wearable farm where tail painting was still used alongside.

“When we said we were going to trust the collars and not tail paint at all, there was some apprehension,” Nathan says.
That hesitation quickly disappeared. After the first day of mating, the SenseHub Dairy system drafted the correct cows, and the AI technician confirmed they were genuinely on heat. “That was all the confirmation the team needed. From then on, everyone trusted the system.”

Learning the System
For the team, hands‑on training made all the difference. Having my trainer come on farm and teach us the system was huge. I’m a visual learner and I learn by doing. Access to the online manual has been valuable for refreshers, and knowing support is just a phone call away has added confidence.

“It’s great knowing I can ring my trainer and ask a question anytime.”

Delivering Real Results
SenseHub Dairy made an immediate impact during mating. The farm achieved a strong in‑calf rate, while the empty rate dropped by 5% without the usual pressure of long hours spent heat detecting on the stand.
“SenseHub Dairy really streamlined my decision‑making,” says Rose. “Being able to see all the cow information on one screen made it much easier to choose different semen for different cows, but just as importantly, it freed up staff time and energy during one of the busiest periods of the season.”

“SenseHub Dairy really streamlined my decision‑making.”

Beyond Mating: Unexpected Benefits
While SenseHub Dairy was primarily adopted for mating, its value during calving quickly stood out.

“I would receive an alert from a calved cow, go and check that cow, and often be able to give her a bag early,” Nathan explains. “That saved a lot of time and money compared to finding her later in much poorer condition. For the price of cows today, having an early alert is absolutely invaluable for us.”

Changing the Daily Routine
The biggest surprise? How much the staff loved it.

“They couldn’t believe we didn’t have to tail paint or spend time every morning on the stand,” Nathan laughs.
The system reduced pressure at peak times, allowing staff to focus on other important tasks. Rose trained the team to manage daily AB checks, meaning she and Nathan could take a day off confidently, knowing things would still run smoothly in the shed.

Support Makes the Difference
Their journey hasn’t been taken alone. Strong support from their farm advisor, nutritionist, and vet has reinforced the value of wearables.

“Our vet works with many SenseHub Dairy farms. When we told him we were using SenseHub, he was very happy about that.”

Looking Ahead
For the first few months of sharemilking, we were using the Dataflow software but when we decided to collar the rest of the cows we swapped from that software to the SenseHub software. “Going from Dataflow to SenseHub has been a game changer,” Rose says. “The simplicity of SenseHub has made it easier to learn and easier for staff as well.”

The addition of a wand has further improved how they interact with the system, especially when collaring heifers.
Coming from a sheep and beef background, Nathan sums it up simply: “For us, the value for money compared to other brands is an absolute no‑brainer.”

Advice for Others Starting Their SenseHub Journey
With a laugh, Nathan offers the first tip: “Don’t collar cows during calving if you can help it.” More seriously, they stress data quality. You need good data in MINDA® and your drafting system. All the databases need to be reading from the same page. “It’s great to have the technology, but what’s the point of having it if you don’t give it the best opportunity to perform?”

And for those still on the fence?
“Don’t hesitate. If you can afford it, it’s worth it.”