When selecting a sorting gate for your farm, there are essential factors you need to keep in mind:
- Reliability
- Ease of cow movement
- Maintenance
Consider this: if your monitoring system flags a cow in heat or with a health issue, your next step is locating that cow quickly. Ideally, all cows requiring attention are already in the separation pen, ready for treatment or insemination. However, not all sorting systems perform equally. Martin van Middelkoop, Market Solution Manager at Nedap, shares insights on the development of the new Nedap SmartSort system and key aspects to keep in mind when investing in a sorting gate.
Market Solution Manager, Nedap
Enhancing Efficiency, Safety and Hygiene
“The primary advantage of a sorting gate is the time it saves for both farm workers and cows,” explains Van Middelkoop.
Having led the development of SmartSort, he emphasizes that an effective sorting gate also improves safety and hygiene by reducing the need for workers to manually locate and isolate specific cows.
“But for a sorting gate to be valuable, it must consistently sort all cows on the selection list. Poor reliability can be incredibly frustrating for dairy farmers,” he says. “That’s why we focused on maximizing reliability when creating the SmartSort.”
Prioritizing Reliability and Streamlined Sorting
Van Middelkoop details the technology behind SmartSort and Nedap’s design decisions. The system uses RFID tags on the cows’ necks, allowing instant recognition and direct access to the separation area. Unlike systems that rely on additional sensors, which can slow down the process, SmartSort uses a single recognition point for faster, smoother sorting.
“Fewer moving parts, free cow traffic, and low-maintenance design all contribute to stress-free sorting, minimal downtime and high capacity,” he explains.
Simple Installation for Minimal Disruptions
One unique feature of SmartSort is its ease of installation, as it comes pre-assembled and pre-tested.
“We chose this approach to reduce the chances of installation errors and to simplify the process for installers,” says Van Middelkoop.
Critical aspects, such as antenna positioning, are pre-set to avoid potential malfunctions. “This level of precision in the factory allows us to achieve 99.9% reliability in practice, avoiding issues that frustrate dairy farmers and complicate service calls.”
Proven Performance in Real-World Conditions
The SmartSort system has undergone extensive testing on farms of all sizes, from medium to very large operations, and in diverse settings, including grazing farms and those with seasonal calving.
“In grazing systems, accurate selection is vital,” Van Middelkoop says. “On these farms, cows only pass through the sorting gate twice daily before returning to pasture, so missing a cow in heat could mean a missed opportunity for insemination, potentially impacting herd productivity.”
On large dairy farms, SmartSort has shown substantial labor savings. Van Middelkoop recalls feedback from one farmer who, after installing SmartSort on a farm with 2,500 cows, was delighted by the newfound time his staff had. “The farmer jokingly remarked that he’d need to find other tasks for his team since they were no longer busy locating missed cows,” Van Middelkoop adds with a smile.
When selecting a sorting gate, consider reliability, ease of cow movement, maintenance, and proven performance to ensure the system meets your farm’s needs effectively and consistently.
To learn more about fitting SmartSort into your current GENEX HerdMonitor™ cow monitoring system setup, talk to your GENEX representative, or click here.
