A new mobile app which shows when cows are in heat has been launched worldwide by Dairymaster an Irish company. It will replace a vasectomized bull for many farmers. It will be launched in the US next week.

The device known as Moomaster allows dairy farmers to know when to send for the artificial insemination man or the real bull and is being hailed as a major breakthrough, reports the Irish Examiner.

Dairymaster technical director Dr. Ed Harty stated that “The MooMonitor goes around the cow’s neck and uses an accelerometer to measure its movements. In breeding, it is critical to know the right time in the cow’s fertility cycle. This app allows us to look for specific types of activity, allowing us to know the cow is ready for breeding.

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"Traditionally, people put a vasectomized bull in with the cows to monitor when they are in heat, with somebody watching for cows to be in heat. If you’re an AI technician, you don’t have to waste time driving around checking for farms with cattle in heat."

The app will be rolled out in the US next week and distributed by Selecte Sires the USA’s largest artificial insemination company.

The  breeding windows is less than four hours in 15% of cattle, and less than eight hours in 30% of cattle says Dairymaster so the new technology is a lifeline for many farmers.

Harty stated; “The Dairymaster on-farm surveys showed that there can be a relatively small breeding window in many cattle. They also found that some breeding windows can commence at midnight or 1am, at times when cattle are not normally being monitored.

"The chances of catching a cow in heat earlier is a great advantage. Farmers can judge, for instance, that the conception rate might be higher in the evening and call in the AI technician accordingly."