Introduction
Sensehub Dairy, which is owned by MSD Animal Health, has created their own version of the drafting gate, releasing two difference version, Sensehub Intelligate-P and Sensehub Intelligate-S.
The drafting gates both are a hardware product that is installed on farm the help streamline and automate the cow drafting process. The offering of the two different gates (P, Premium, and S, Standard) allows for both large and small spaces to have the ability to fit a drafting gate.
The system is linked and can be operated via the app, web application, or PC, allowing farmers to input cow numbers to draft, get reports of what has drafted, and draft based off reports.
Having the gate on farm means a task that would have normally needed two people to perform, and cause stress to the cows, is now a task that does not require anyone to complete, only requiring cow data to be inputted in.
How it works
The Sensehub Intelligate-P will be placed in the exit race of the cowshed, funnelling cows into a single file line as they walk through. The standard Intelligate-P gate is equipped with a collar reader, which is a infrared reader that will pick up singles from the collar itself, knowing if the specific cow walking through the gate needs to be drafted or not.
The gate used pneumatic rams to control both shutter gates and drafting gates, allowing cows to be drafted or right, and making sure that only the required cow is drafted, and not cows behind that are not needed.
The gate then uses photo eyes (invisible, non-harmful lasers) which help ‘track’ the cow through the gate. When the cow walks between the photo eyes, the laser is broken, and the gate will make the decision to close the shutter gates, close the drafting gates (the cow is drafted into the required pen) or set the gate back to its default (straight through).
Gate Information
- Gate Price: $52,000 + GST (as of March 2025)
- Size: 5.0m L x 2.2m W x 2.4m H; 0.8m W internal race
- Automatic collar sorting
- 3-way drafting
- Integrates with Sensehub Dairy Collars
- Internet connection required
- Installation time: 2-3 days (depending)
- Remote control
- App drafting
Photo by Sensehub Dairy
Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages:
- Larger foot print gate
- High draft accuracy
- Drafts off collars
Disadvantages:
- Does not integrate with MINDA
- Cannot draft cows that have a missing EID (does not know its missing)
- Does not draft off EID tags
Additions needed that are not included
- Compressor
- Compressor airline to the gate
- Mains power to the gate
- Building modifications (out-of-scope engineering)
- Internet broadband connection
