How the Koopals won NZDIA and the CowManager System

Taking Action

Paul and Sarah Koopal aren’t the type to shy away from challenges. As third-generation farmers on their property in the Central Plateau, they’ve always encouraged their team to get involved in the NZDIA. But in 2023, they decided to take it to the next level and entered the competition themselves in the Sharemilker of the Year category.

That decision paid off big time. The Koopals won their regional competition, went on to compete at the national level, and ended up coming in third place overall. But the real game-changer came during the interview process, when they were awarded the CowManager Experience — a prize that includes free installation of CowManager on their farm for three years. With this system in place, Paul and Sarah now have access to powerful data about their herd’s health, nutrition, and fertility—tools that will help them fine-tune their operations for better results.

Seeing Results

Since installing CowManager in June, they’ve already started seeing some fantastic benefits. The system’s early illness alerts have helped them catch sick cows quickly, allowing them to take action before any major issues develop. Their six-week in-calf results are looking strong, and now they’re focusing on optimising the cows’ transition period to maximise productivity and minimise stress, especially during the mating season.

“Paul and I both have different strengths which really complement our business”, Sarah says. “I work full-time, people and culture is one of my strengths. I love looking after our farm team. Paul his strengths are animals and grass-based farming. We work really well together as a team because we’ve got different strengths.”

She continues: “We’re so excited about the potential we have now, not just from our experience with the NZDIA, but from winning CowManager. It’s giving us more flexibility during mating time, something we’ve never had before. We’re even considering taking on a second job to explore new career options. It’s giving us more freedom and choices than we’ve ever had.”

Boosting Farms Together

For farmers looking to improve their operations, both the NZDIA and CowManager offer fantastic opportunities. The NZDIA isn’t just a competition — it’s an opportunity to take a step back and assess your farming practices. By entering, you get valuable feedback from experienced judges, helping you pinpoint areas for improvement and set new goals.

CowManager gives farmers real-time, actionable data from your herd. With its innovative ear sensor technology, you gain insights into each cow’s health, nutrition, transition and fertility. This empowers farmers to make smarter decisions about herd management, improving productivity and reducing stress on both the cows and your operation. From early illness detection to better mating outcomes and more efficient resource use, CowManager is designed to help you optimise your farm like never before.

“It’s an amazing option for us and this farm to get the system and expertise that CowManager has to offer”, Paul says. “We’re currently monitoring transition and animal health. We’ve picked up some cows that looked fine but that CowManager was alerting. We were able to intervene early because of that, and they bounced back a lot quicker than they would have otherwise.”