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Shaw Cattle Company Boosts Breeding Success with Smart Cattle Monitoring Systems

Shaw Cattle Company enhanced breeding efficiency and herd management by implementing the SenseHub® Cow Calf monitoring system. The technology allows them to monitor heifers remotely, helping improve conception rates and optimize labor — ultimately leading to increased productivity.

Overview of Shaw Cattle Company, an Idaho seedstock producer:

Shaw Cattle Company traces its roots back to 1946 when founder Tom Shaw returned from war and received a belated graduation gift — the pick of his neighbor’s registered Hereford heifers. From humble beginnings, Shaw Cattle Company expanded to include Angus and Red Angus cattle. Today, Shaw Cattle Company runs more than 1,500 registered cows across all three breeds.

“Our primary business is marketing bulls through an annual spring auction,” says Tucker Shaw. “We market about 500 bulls to commercial ranches throughout the West.”

As a family-run operation, many members of the Shaw family are involved in the day-to-day aspects of the ranch. Tom’s sons, Tucker and Sam, manage the ranch operations and several of their children work alongside them. SenseHub® Cow Calf helps keep everyone connected and informed, so they can maximize their herd’s reproductive potential.


The Challenge/Opportunity: Heat detection in a remote location

Shaw Cattle Company develops their replacement heifers at a feedlot approximately 10 miles from the home farm. During the already busy breeding season, this distance adds another level of complexity to heat detection.

All of the cows at Shaw Cattle Company are bred through artificial insemination (AI), making every breeding count.

“In our business, getting cows bred — and doing so on the first cycle — is very important,” Shaw says. “They calve earlier in the season, which makes the bulls older and more marketable when we sell them through our spring auction.”

The Solution: A 24/7 cattle monitoring tool

Incorporating monitoring technology has allowed the operation to keep a close eye on their replacement heifers, even miles away.

“SenseHub Cow Calf helps us save time and manage the process of breeding our heifers more efficiently,” Shaw says. “Now, we can look at the app on our phone and determine what size crew to send to a location. It allows us to manage not only our time, but our employees better, too.”

Though Tucker and Sam are the primary decision-makers, many family members and employees make up the labor force on the ranch. SenseHub Cow Calf reports guide Tucker’s and Sam’s actions, but the entire crew has access to the app on their phones.

“When we send them to the feedlot to inspect the heifers and pull and breed heifers, they’ve got that same exact list that we have,” Shaw says.

Once on-site, they’re able to look at their phones to determine which pen the heifers are in, where to go and how to spend their time effectively.

The Results: Improved heat detection

The biggest impacts Shaw has seen on their ranch are time savings and better overall management.
 
“We enjoy the technology because it makes us more efficient with our time and resources,” says Shaw. “It allows us to see our animals better and helps us to keep better track of our cattle.”
 
Since implementing SenseHub Cow Calf, they’ve seen improved conception rates, tighter calving windows and improvements in first-service success.
 
Shaw says about 7% of heifers flagged by the system came in heat unexpectedly — after timed AI but before anticipated estrus. Previously, those heats would have been missed. Thanks to SenseHub Cow Calf, they were able to catch those heats and re-breed faster.

Key Results

  • Remote monitoring of heifers miles away.
  • Improved conception rates by catching heats that would have been missed in the past.
  • More efficient division of labor force.
  • No errors or miscommunication in pulling and breeding heifers.

See what SenseHub Cow Calf can help you achieve with your herd.

Contact us for more information or click the link below to read other success stories.

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This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease in animals. For the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of diseases in animals, you should consult your veterinarian. The accuracy of the data collected and presented through this product is not intended to match that of medical devices or scientific measurement devices.