PRESS RELEASE : A Little Paint Daily Goes a Long Way In Supporting Farm Labour during COVID Times

Fieldays, New Zealand, 17 June 2021: The Tailpainter, the heat detection tool that launched at Fieldays 2020, is launching its Daisy Paint tail paint range in New Zealand during this year’s Fieldays. A vibrant, water based and non-toxic paint available in four colours, it is formulated for ease of use and with a bright pigment for easy reading of silent heats.

“We are delighted to offer New Zealand farmers a complete heat detection solution”, says Co-founder Liam O’Keeffe. “COVID has left farmers with less available labour so an easy-to-use tool that cuts down labour time and maximises herd production is more necessary now than ever”.  

The Tailpainter also helps farmers reduce their environmental impact by supporting block breeding and increasing herd productivity. Block breeding is widely adopted in grass feeding regions including New Zealand, Ireland and the UK and is all about bringing efficiency of work practices to the farmyard. Block breeding focuses on consolidating the calving season into a period of as close as possible to 6 weeks. This means the farmer is maximising the production of milk and calves from their herd with each cow producing a calf and maximising milking production pretty much on a cycle of exactly every 12 months. 

Problems occur for farmers in achieving this 12-month cycle if an effective heat detection practice is not implemented. Every time there is a missed heat, the target of 365 days is impacted. Closing this gap by implementing effective heat detection practices, together with correct timing of AI and ensuring best practice in nutrition management, represents a significant increased profit opportunity for the New Zealand Farmer.

By using the Tailpainter the farmer can more easily benefit from the use of top genetics; a farmer can now achieve a genetic gain in his herd without any extra labour input. With reduced or eliminated stock bulls and improved dairy genetics and increased beef calf value, a farmer can see a real improvement in his profit while also dramatically increasing the value of his stock. 

“We are delighted with the feedback from our existing customers who are realising real benefits including ease & speed of tail paint application, the difference is the farmer now spends his time observing cows and not on strenuous tail painting resulting in improved heat detection and more compact calving” adds Liam O’Keeffe. “The real trick here is to ensure that the paint quality is always in good condition before the cow leaves the parlour topping up the paint regularly -- this routine removes any guessing from heat detection; the paint has to be in good condition at all times during the breeding season and therefore also allows for detection for so called non-cyclers i.e., any cows that are not ovulating.

“Due to the cost of herd replacements, a farmer’s ability to eliminate inaccurate heat detections and a knowledge of non-cyclers are two areas where farmers can really gain financially. We have farmers milking up to 1000 cows realising the value of the Tailpainter down to herd sizes of 50 cows. Farmers up to now were aware of the labour-intensive job and what was very often a hazardous job associated with tail painting - the arrival of the Tailpainter changes all of this making it very feasible and safe to paint as often as is required”, he continues.

“We are delighted that the Tailpainter range has expanded to include environmentally friendly tail paint and in doing so offering the New Zealand farmer a complete heat detection solution,” comments Niall Casey, Market Advisor – Agribusiness, Life Sciences and Equine, Enterprise Ireland A/NZ. “The feedback from local farmers has been great in its first year of operations in New Zealand and we believe the paint range will only add to their success.

Tailpainter and the Daisy Paint range is available from http://www.tailpainter.co.nz  and several leading Agri retailers.  

ENDS

Note to the editor: Images and interviews are available on request.

Media Enquiries: Louise Nealon, louise@louisenealon.com, + 61 403 569 177

About Daisy Paint

Daisy Paint has been specially formulated tail paint to work optimally with the Tailpainter. Water-based, non-toxic, and containing a bittering agent, the four bright vibrant colours make heat detection even easier! Available in 750 mL bottles that attach directly to the Tailpainterr, or in 5L easy-pour containers to make a clean job of using the refill bottle included with your Tailpainter kit.

About The Tailpainter

The Tailpainter uses a roller-based system attached to an extendable handle that can be fixed into three different configurations that will easily suit your needs. You can use the Tailpainter to apply paint to your cows while feeding, while milking, or while in the crush. By simply applying the paint with the Tailpainter, you will get a thin, consistent line to ensure heat detection is mostaccurate. And all of this takes only a few seconds, so you are saving time that can be used on any of the other jobs you might have around the farm. http://www.tailpainter.co.nz  

 


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