EID, Herd Monitoring Tech And Proactive Herd Health Protocols On Show At Demonstration Farm Open Day
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Dairy farmers will have the opportunity to see first-hand how EID (electronic identification), herd monitoring technology and proactive animal health planning are helping to improve productivity, welfare and labour efficiencies when one of Staffordshire’s leading dairy farms opens its gates this autumn.
The MSD Animal Health Demonstration Farm Open Day will take place at Castle Hayes Park Farm, home to Major Farming Ltd., on 8th October.
With electronic identification set to become mandatory for all newborn calves in England in 2027, the event offers a timely opportunity for farmers to see how the technology has been adopted and is being used to ease management tasks on a commercial dairy farm.
Hosted by dairy farmer Rupert Major and his team, the open day will also demonstrate how data generated through SenseHub® Dairy can support proactive herd health planning by helping to improve decision-making, boost herd productivity and increase labour efficiency.
Major Farming was a finalist in the 2026 Farmers Weekly Dairy Farmer of the Year competition: milking 650 Jersey x Holstein Kiwi crossbred cows within an extensive, spring block-calving system, the herd has a calving index of 365 days with all calves born in a 10-week block starting in February.
Since joining the MSD Animal Health Demonstration Farm Network in 2024, the farm has worked closely with MSD Animal Health and their vet to assess disease risk, review herd health protocols and implement a number of preventative strategies tailored to its specific challenges.
A key focus has been calf health: following disease screening and a review of calf-rearing practices, the farm introduced targeted vaccination programmes alongside improved colostrum management and hygiene protocols. As a result, calf scour has been significantly reduced, while calves have achieved weaning weights up to 10 kg heavier at the same age compared with the previous year, enabling weaning around a week earlier. In addition, 98% achieved their target weight before the onset of winter, up from 87% the previous year.
Similarly, since introducing SenseHub Dairy collars to monitor fertility, alongside a SenseHub Dairy Sorting Gate, the herd has seen improvements in submission, conception and in-calf rates.
The collars, together with the SenseHub Premium application plan, which generates custom reports and highlights health alerts, have also contributed to improvements in cow health and productivity. Major Farming Ltd. has created a specific rumination report to identify cows requiring additional attention before service. Data from the system is also used alongside milk recording information to refine feeding decisions.
Rupert Major, owner of Major Farming Ltd., says: “As dairy farms continue to grow in size, technology has an important role to play in helping businesses work more efficiently.
“Through our involvement in the MSD Animal Health Demonstration Farm Network, we’ve seen how combining technology with proactive herd health planning can improve calf health, animal welfare and overall farm performance. We look forward to sharing those experiences with other farmers in October.”
Duncan Sinclair, Associate Director of MSD Animal Health’s Market Access Team, adds: “The Demonstration Farm Network, made up of five dairy farms across England, Wales and Scotland, was established to show how incremental improvements in herd health management and the use of monitoring technology can deliver significant benefits for animal welfare, productivity and business performance.
“This open day provides an opportunity for farmers to see those principles in action on a leading commercial farm and hear directly from the farm team about the challenges they faced, the changes they implemented and the results they have achieved.”
The event is being run in partnership with IVC Evidensia vets: the company’s Regional Head of Farm and Clinical Director of Glenthorne Vets, Gill Whitehurst BVSc MRCVS, will take visitors through the steps taken at Castle Hayes to prevent disease on the farm, and to discuss how vaccination, strict biosecurity protocols and the use of diagnostics ensures all dairy animals get the best possible start in life.
The open day will also include a tour of the farm’s grazing platform, as well as practical demonstrations and presentations from MSD Animal Health’s experts in monitoring, EID and automatic segregation.
Attendance is free, but places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, please visit https://animalhealth.getfeedback.com/r/av8FC0Us/
MSD Animal Health – Demonstration Farm Open Day
Castle Hayes Park Farm, Castle Hayes Lane, Tutbury, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 9HL
Thursday 8th October 2026
10:00am – 2:30pm
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