British farmers often make one of the year's most consequential breeding decisions within a window of just 4 to 12 hours. Get it right, and the cow is in calf. Miss it, and it's three weeks until the next chance and up to 100 days of lost milk production. Monil's new heat detection update combines activity and rumination data on the same collar that holds the fence, giving farmers a more reliable signal at the right moment.
Why silent heats go unnoticed
Modern high-yielding cows show shorter and weaker signs of heat than previous generations. Research shows that 60 to 70 percent of heat activity happens at night, and that visual observation alone catches only around half of all heat events. The rest goes unnoticed and with it, a significant share of the year's production potential is lost.
How rumination data improves heat detection
This is one of the most exciting updates since the Monil collar was launched. The collar (https://www.monil.com/uk/product) has registered and alerted farmers to unusual activity in their animals since 2025. Now the feature has been improved: the collar also registers rumination. When these two measurements are combined, heat alerts become significantly more accurate. Alerts are sent directly to the farmer in the Monil app.
This is built with feedback from farmers in the field. It gives you a clear, useful signal alongside your own observations, not a replacement for a stockperson's eye, but a reliable prompt to act at the right time.
More than a virtual fence
British farmers have long had access to systems for either grazing management or health monitoring. The problem has been that they rarely work together. With our new heat detection update in the Monil collar, that changes. GPS, activity and rumination are combined in one and the same collar.
This means the collar that keeps animals within the grazing area now also uses rumination as a signal to give you more reliable heat alerts. One collar does more than ever before.
Better timing for artificial insemination
For farmers where artificial insemination is standard practice, good fertility is all about precise timing. Best results are achieved when semen is placed 4 to 12 hours after heat has started. An alert that arrives at a more accurate time, rather than at the morning milking the next day, gives farmers better conditions for hitting that insemination window.
For beef farmers running a bull, the technology offers a different but equally valuable insight: if a cow returns to heat three weeks after the bull has been with her, the bull may be the problem. That can be identified early in the season, not at the pregnancy scanning in autumn.
Calving detection: Coming this autumn
Heat detection is the next step in a longer arc. The collar that flags unusual activity and identifies heat this spring will also alert on calving soon. Both features sit within the same collar, updated automatically and no new hardware needed.
Built for tough conditions, proven on British farms
Monil collars were developed in Norway, where short seasons, rough terrain and demanding weather leave no room for hardware that doesn't hold up. The same collar is now proven across British farms, and the system is designed to work with how farmers here actually operate, with autumn and spring calving blocks, a mix of dairy and suckler herds, and close attention to individual animal performance.
During development of the heat detection feature, farmers served as the benchmark. That means a solution tested in real farm conditions, where precise timing of artificial insemination and early identification of bull fertility issues can make a meaningful difference to the bottom line.
Frequently asked questions
The collar reads activity and rumination patterns together. A rise in activity combined with a drop in rumination is a strong signal of heat, and the alert lands in your Monil app.
Best fertility results come when semen is placed roughly 4 to 12 hours after the start of oestrus. Earlier alerts give a better chance of hitting that window.
No. The update arrives automatically on existing Monil collars through the app.
Yes. Dairy farmers can use it primarily for AI timing. Beef farmers can use it to confirm whether the bull is doing his job, earlier in the season.
Ready for the new season?
Collars are available with fast delivery. Get in touch using the form below for more information and receive a personalized offer for your farm.
