LIC’s EZ Link herd testing technology is “a dream come true” for Patetonga farmers Peter and Mandy Paterson.

They’ve been using the hand held device since it was first introduced in 2007 after taking part in the trials.

“I loved it from the trial. It takes the hassle out of herd testing,” Mandy said.

EZ Link is a handheld device that scans herd testing flask barcodes, eliminating the need to hand-write a cow’s tag number on the side of a herd-testing flask.

Simply enter the cow number into the EZ Link handheld device and scan that cow’s flask. This flask can then be placed anywhere in a standard tray, without having to use a numbered tray card.

It will also identify duplicates during milking so they can be resolved quickly.

Mandy and Peter have seven trays to herd test their 220-cow herd five times each year. EZ Link makes their testing process very straightforward.

“I have them stacked in two piles – one empty and one full. I don’t like looking for numbers.

“It’s really easy if you’ve got all your records up to date and your cows clearly tagged. EZ Link won’t let you double up, and you can put the flasks anywhere on the tray,” Mandy said.

“I think the herds that have over 15 trays would benefit greatly from using EZ Link because it means they don’t need so much space to lay out all the numbered trays. Lots of sheds just don’t have the room to set them up to work efficiently and that’s what makes EZ Link so great.”

Herd testing product manager, Jamee Thomas, said the whole point of EZ Link is to make herd testing easier and less labour-intensive.

“Herd testing provides farmers with a wealth of information about their animals, particularly at this time of year before drying off, helping to ensure they make informed decisions that are accurate and cost effective.

“The easiest way to get this information is with EZ Link and EZ Link EID,” Jamee said.

EZ Link EID utilises electronic tags, with a wand for scanning the animal’s EID tag and then using the EZ Link device to scan the flask.

“An EID tag opens up many options for cow management and using it at herd test time is just one of the ways you can use it to help make farming easier,” Jamee said.