Measure the ROI of routine changes using your farm data

As dairy farmers, your daily to-do lists never seem to end. From sunrise to sunset, there’s always something demanding attention. But what about the tasks that often get pushed aside, like routine maintenance? When left unchecked, these small, often-overlooked processes can significantly impact your farm’s efficiency and bottom line.

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The hidden costs of delaying maintenance tasks

Maintenance tasks are typically at the bottom of a farmer’s to-do list because there is always something more urgent that comes up. However, neglecting these routine tasks can have consequences that quietly add up.

For example, take something as basic as changing the knives in a feed mixer. It's easy to delay this task since the mixer continues to operate, but dull blades result in hairy feed. Bigger feed chunks mean cows will sort through the feed, eat their favorite parts, and leave the other necessary nutrients. Over time, this can affect herd health and reduce milk production, cutting into your profitability without you realizing it. We might also see increased mixing times and fuel costs, as the mixer works harder to do its job. 

Another example is milking machine maintenance. Regularly replacing the liners is crucial for maintaining milk flow and quality. Skipping this task can result in teat damage and higher somatic cell counts, which also impacts your bottom line.

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Connect the dots using your farm data

Tracking the impact of routine maintenance on farm performance is no small task and can be challenging without clear data.

Often, the effects of delaying maintenance, such as lower milk yields or increased feed waste, only become apparent over time. This is where farm management platforms like Connecterra offer an advantage. By continuously monitoring key performance indicators such as milk production, feed efficiency, and cow health, you can gain real-time insights into how these routine tasks influence overall productivity.

For example, after changing the knives in your feed mixer, you can monitor your milk output and DMI in the following weeks. Connecterra collects data across various parameters, helping you visualize patterns and trends that may not be obvious without automated tracking. This means you can move beyond guesswork and pinpoint the specific maintenance activities that positively (or negatively) affect your farm’s profitability.

The platform also lets you compare different tasks. Whether you’re adjusting feed grind size or replacing milking liners, you can check how those changes impact your cows’ health and productivity over time.

Compliment your farm data with your intuition

While data is a powerful tool, your experience and intuition as a farmer are equally important. Connecterra is designed to complement—not replace—your knowledge of your herd and farm. The platform allows you to manually input observations, maintenance schedules, and any changes you implement, creating a fuller picture that integrates both digital data and hands-on expertise.

For instance, maybe you notice subtle behavioral changes in your cows after adjusting their feed or altering their milking routine. Document these observations in Connecterra which pairs that information with your automated data. This allows you to compare and analyze how those factors could be influencing cow performance.

This blend of data and hands-on experience gives you a better way to fine-tune your farm’s operations.

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Prioritize the right maintenance tasks with confidence

Routine maintenance tasks may not always seem urgent, but they can significantly impact your farm's profitability.

With tools like Connecterra, you can use data to evaluate which maintenance task to prioritize weekly that will keep your farm running smoothly and offer the greatest return on investment. Whether it’s making sure your equipment is in good shape or improving feed efficiency, having the right information helps you stay on top of things—and keeps your farm profitable.

Experience this for yourself! Sign up for a free 60-day trial on the platform and see how it can help you make better decisions with your farm data.