A few kilometers from the Spanish border, Yves Curutchet opens the doors of his family farm to us. He currently manages about 40 hectares of meadows near the farm’s headquarters, and also has 30 hectares of high-altitude pastures.

After several years working as a salaried employee elsewhere, Yves took over the family farm, specializing in the breeding of Blonda de Aquitania suckler cows within a calf production system.

A clear need: to better locate and monitor his herd.

Although he has a reasonable grazing area, some plots are difficult to access and have steep slopes, which complicates the monitoring of the livestock.

“I needed to find a system to locate my animals remotely and make sure everything was going well.” “So I searched online and found the digitanimal website,” Yves explains.

GPS tracker for cows — A new way of working

A little over two years ago, Yves received his first Digitanimal GPS collars. Since then, his way of managing the herd has completely changed:

“Before, I used to go up to see my animals in the high-altitude pastures twice a day. Sometimes I couldn’t find them, especially when they were in the woods. Today, I monitor them remotely and only travel there two or three times a week.”

“The time, fuel, and wear and tear on the car that I save more than make up for the cost of the GPS collars and the subscription.”

The outcome is clear: fewer journeys, lower fuel consumption, and reduced vehicle wear.

More than just tracking: a health monitoring tool

Thanks to the collars, Yves tracks not only his cows’ movements, but also their activity and temperature. This data allows him to stay ahead when making certain decisions:

“With the Digitanimal GPS collars, I can monitor my animals’ movements and also identify when they aren’t moving. If I notice a slight drop in a cow’s temperature, an increase in activity, and a tendency to isolate herself, I detect pre-calving signs and can track that female more closely. If, a few hours later, she remains stationary for several hours, the birth has likely already occurred, and I know exactly where to find the mother and her calf.“

Greater peace of mind and freedom

Today, Yves doesn’t just check the position of his animals: he optimizes monitoring and organizes his workdays better.

“Now, I am constantly informed about the herd’s position and movements, optimizing monitoring, reducing fuel costs, and having more free time to organize my days with greater freedom and serenity.“

Yves’ testimony demonstrates that technology can become a valuable ally in extensive farming, allowing not only for the tracking of animals but also for saving time, optimizing travel, and improving decision-making.

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