Elly and Kale Grahame

Taking the pressure out of mating: Elly and Kale Grahame’s move to smarter heat detection

For Taranaki sharemilkers Elly and Kale Grahame, technology hasn’t been about overcomplicating their system. It’s been about making the high-pressure parts of farming simpler, more manageable and easier to stay on top of.

Running 200 cows, the pair have introduced Nedap collars as their primary heat detection tool. The impact has been immediate, particularly during mating, a time that, in previous seasons, brought a significant amount of stress.

Like many farmers, Elly and Kale relied on traditional methods such as tail painting, constant observation and managing bulls. It was a hands-on approach that demanded time, attention and often added pressure during an already busy period. The shift to Nedap collars has changed that.

Now, instead of relying on visual cues alone, heat detection is handled automatically. Each morning, Elly has a clear list of cows ready to be inseminated, delivered straight to her phone.

“It’s a dream,” she says. “Milking in the morning is so much easier, without having to constantly watch for cows that might be on heat.”

That visibility has allowed them to step away from bulls altogether and move to a fully AI-based system. In doing so, they’ve reduced risk, simplified their mating process and freed up valuable time across the day.

For Elly, the biggest difference is not having to second-guess what she might be missing.

Rather than watching and waiting, the system provides clear, timely signals. It removes the pressure of constant observation and replaces it with confidence in the data.

Beyond mating, the collars are also providing a continuous picture of what’s happening across the herd. With 24/7 monitoring, Elly and Kale can see exactly how their cows are performing, from eating patterns through to rumination.

It’s clear the true value of that level of insight is directly tied to production. The more their cows are eating and ruminating, the more milk they produce. Being able to track those behaviours in real time gives them an early indication if something isn’t quite right, allowing them to respond sooner.

The system itself has also proven straightforward to implement. Without needing on-boarding support, Elly and Kale set everything up themselves, installing the aerial, having internet connected to the shed, and getting the collars up and running.

From there, day-to-day use has been simple.

Nedap’s app allows them to track progress against their goals, while reporting and filtering tools make it easy to focus on the information that matters most. Whether it’s by individual cow, performance traits, or specific timeframes, the data is easy to access and continually updating.

Flexibility has also been an important factor. As sharemilkers, the ability to move systems between farms is a practical consideration. With Nedap, they know the entire setup can be packed down and taken with them when needed.

Financially, the option to purchase the collars rather than lease them has also worked in their favour. After reviewing the numbers, it provided a better long-term outcome for their business.

Looking ahead, Elly and Kale are now exploring how Nedap’s SmartSort drafting gate could further streamline their system, building on the efficiencies they’re already seeing.

For them, the shift has been clear. By removing the pressure points and making better use of data, they’ve been able to create a system that works with them, not against them, every day on farm.