The MSD Animal Health Podcast · MSD Animal Health

Life with SenseHub - A 'gamechanger' for Carlow dairy farmer Ashleigh Fennell

February 3, 2026·16 min·1 clip

Ashley reveals how his grandad milked cows by hand in an old stone cowhouse on their farm.

This episode features dairy farmer Ashley Fennell discussing his experience with the SenseHub monitoring system on his farm in Carlow. Host Emma Gilson from MSD Animal Health leads the conversation about integrating technology into daily operations. Ashley is a third-generation farmer who began dairy farming in 2019 and currently milks 100 cows in a spring-calving system. Ashley explains his farm's history, noting his grandfather milked cows by hand in a stone cowhouse on the property. He shares a recently learned story about milk being transported in creamery cans to a roadside stand for collection. The discussion focuses on his adoption of the SenseHub system, which provides activity and health monitoring for his herd. Ashley details using the system's alerts to detect cows in heat and identify health issues early. He states the technology allows him to breed cows more efficiently without needing constant visual observation. Ashley describes receiving alerts for cows "bulling" or showing signs of illness, enabling quicker intervention. A key benefit he cites is the ability to manage a larger herd while maintaining animal welfare standards. The system provides specific data points like activity levels that help inform management decisions. Ashley emphasizes that the technology saves significant time during the busy breeding season. He finds the system reliable for heat detection, which he calls a "gamechanger" for his operation. The data helps him make informed decisions about which cows to breed and when. He appreciates having more control and predictability in his daily schedule. The episode has an informal, conversational tone between the host and farmer. The style is educational, focusing on practical farm application and personal experience. Listeners interested in agricultural technology and modern dairy farming practices would enjoy this episode. Those seeking highly technical data analysis or broader industry debates might find it too focused on a single user story.

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