Embracing Tech for Smarter Farming & Better Balance

Will and Erica Hurst have just wrapped up their first season using SenseHub® Dairy, and already, they’re reaping the rewards. Based in North Otago, the couple run a System 3 dairy farm on flat, irrigated land where they winter their herd on-farm. Now heading into their fifth-year contract milking on family-owned farms, the Hursts are part of a proactive team that’s not afraid to lean into tech to drive performance and lifestyle balance.

We caught up with the couple and their SenseHub Dairy trainer, Ruth Talliss, to hear how the system’s helped them fine-tune their operation — and their time.

Why SenseHub Dairy?

“We’d looked into a few options, but SenseHub Dairy stood out as the most polished and proven system,” says Erica. “We were already using other tech on-farm and knew we could take that data and really use it to lift performance.”

With a second contract milking job on the horizon, the decision to go digital was a practical one — collars gave them visibility across the herd without needing to be physically present all the time.

From Setup to Day-to-Day Wins

“We got really excited about the drafting capabilities straight away — especially over calving. Splitting cows into calving groups and managing springers became way easier,” says Will.

Though they initially hoped for better integration with MyHerd, they’ve been happy with recent updates that allow smooth event uploads via file transfer. “Once we got through that first year, we were even more impressed — not just with the system, but the support on the end of the phone.”

Team Buy-In

Their on-farm manager Jordan has fully embraced the system, especially during mating. “Everyone’s impressed with the alerts and the drafting. It’s part of the daily rhythm now.”

Training wasn’t a one-and-done either. Ruth, their local trainer, checked in at key seasonal points — calving, mating, and drying off — making sure the team felt confident using the data to make real-time decisions.
“She’d literally say, ‘What are you trying to achieve?’ — and then help us get there,” says Erica.

Work-Life Balance Gains

One of the biggest tests came when Erica gave birth to their second child — right in the middle of calving and mating.
“We were able to keep production close to our record season and improve our 6-week in-calf rate by 2% — even with a newborn at home. SenseHub Dairy gave us virtual oversight, so we could direct our time where it mattered most.”

Data That Directs the Day

Key KPIs like Health Rate, Animals to Inspect, and Group Consistency helped them set priorities and identify early issues — sometimes even before staff noticed.

“The collars flagged cows at risk on fodder beet a day before a trained eye might have spotted it. That kind of early detection is gold.”

After losing a cow out of reader range in winter, they quickly added a second station to expand coverage — a simple fix with a big impact.

Support from the Right People

They credit both their vet and SenseHub Dairy trainer for helping them get the most out of the system.
“We had all this information — they helped us turn it into better outcomes. It made a real difference during mating.”

Advice for New Users

“If you’ve got the option, time your install before winter. That gave us time to get the hang of drafting, observe the herd through winter, and head into calving and mating fully confident.”

They also encourage new users to think of collars like an extra set of eyes.
“It’s like having a second farm manager quietly watching over every cow — 24/7.”