A.I.TAGS SMT™ System - Cognex® Hybrid - The Producer's Dream

Published on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 9:34am

 A.I.TAGS SMTTM System - Cognex® Hybrid - The Producer's Dream

 By Steve Weisman

 For the past 18 years, David A. Stampe, inventor and owner of A.I.TAGS (​www.aitags.com​) located in Sioux Falls, SD has been working to help both beef cattle and dairy producers come up with an extremely accurate and very simple to use system to determine heat detection in cattle. First came the “Scratch Off” heat detectors in 2001 originally called Estrus Alert. Those types of tags have now been copied by over a dozen companies located around the world, and it has been reported that over 50 million of those tags have now been sold using the original scratch off technology.

In 2007, Stampe developed the new and improved “Rub Off” technology. With an added second color change, “Rub Off” tags only showed true mounting activity with zero false readings! That was then followed by the “Chevron SMT” tag in 2015, but that was only the beginning. Hence the invention that WILL change heat detection in both the beef and dairy industries: the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM. Here’s the rest of the story…

A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM: all-in-one-system
Now in 2019, Stampe has put all of his efforts together to offer producers the A.I. TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM. This Cognex® equipped heat detection hybrid is the most accurate and dependable heat detection and sorting gate system ever made! A true all-in-one system, A.I. TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM offers busy producers a completely automated method to identify and segregate animals ready for insemination or needing vet checks. According to Stampe, “The A.I. TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM is a result of listening to producers. As I traveled around the world, I spoke to tens of thousands of beef and dairy producers. They all kept saying they wanted an all-in-one-system so that they wouldn’t have to spend all of those endless hours watching their cattle and missing those hard to detect heats. They wanted it at a much lower cost than the electronic systems. They asked for it, and here it is! It is the hybrid they asked for. Simply apply the indicator tags and let the Cognex® camera do the rest.”

The patent pending A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM, which was recently released at the 2019 World Dairy Expo, is the world’s first and only “Rub-Off” all automated heat detection system. It is about accuracy and simplicity that lowers producer costs and increases profitability.
Stampe says it is truly an all-in-one system that is extremely easy to install and run. “We bring it out on a flatbed trailer, we take it off, plug it in to a 110-volt receptacle, plug the air line into it and you’re in business. You’re ready to go. All you have to do is put the A.I.TAGS on your cows and wait for your animals to line up to be inseminated. An additional positive is that unlike expensive electronic systems, the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM will never need batteries or maintenance!”

The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM is powered by Cognex® Machine Vision Technology.
When cows pass through the chute, the Cognex equipment identifies a preset pattern (Cognex®  pat-match). The camera will first identify the animals by searching for the chevron image and then will search for the preset pattern that will match it for the “12-hour rule” of heat detection. If a match occurs, a gate will automatically open to sort that animal into a pen with other animals ready for insemination. The A.I.TAGS SMT™ TAG also has patents pending.
Stampe notes, “Once set up and plugged in, the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM is on 24-7. Each time cows leave the parlor they will automatically be scanned by the Cognex® camera to check for mounting activity, that insures no missed heats, not ever!” In addition, when the herdsman notices an animal requiring a vet check during milking, simply apply an A.I.TAGS SMT™ DRAFTING TAG. This will be a different tag; it has a different mark so it will automatically draft the cows through the gate on the opposite side. If the Cognex® camera determines that the cow does not fit into either of these categories, the animal just goes straight through the chute. Since the system is on 24-7, no longer will the producer or employee have to spend countless hours sorting through cattle. Talk about a time-saver!
Stampe adds with a smile, “All of this is done automatically. Producers today do not need more data to sort through. No, the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM takes care of all of this and puts the cows where they need to be. The system can also be automatically set so that if a dairy producer milks, say, four times a day, to only work the number of times the producer wants.”

The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM offers EIGHT distinct advantages:
• Advantage #1: Labor Reduction
The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM reduces labor by eliminating the need to identify dairy cows in estrus by sight. No matter what visual system is used they all rely on visual identification by humans. The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEMS requires no technical training. Simply apply A.I.TAGS and watch the cows and heifers line up to be inseminated.
• Advantage #2: Eliminate “Gut Instinct”
The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM eliminates gut instinct by removing the human from the decision process; The Cognex® Machine Vision Technology NEVER makes a mistake! The instant Cognex® decision eliminates both false positives and false negatives.
• Advantage #3: Improved Breeding Cycles

The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM improves breeding cycles by eliminating the chance that the dairy herdsman will miss an insemination opportunity. Reducing open days means more accuracy with calving dates. During breeding times, each morning or evening, the producer will find a pen of animals ready for service that are in the “12 Hour Rule” of breeding.
• Advantage #4: Lower Animal Stress
The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM reduces animal stress by reducing the frequency of handling and examination by humans. Milk production is easier to control when animals can avoid stress. This also reduces the chance of injury to both the animal and the herdsman, especially with inexperienced farm hands.
• Advantage #5: Use Less Semen
The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM will allow you to reduce your costs of semen. You will inseminate your cows at the right time reducing open days.
• Advantage #6: Lower Billable Hours
• Using less semen means fewer hours spent doing AI or fewer hours billed by your AI technician. Adds more profit to your bottom line!  
• Advantage #7: Lower Your Overhead Costs
The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM’s accuracy will increase conception percentages, reduce open days and result in using less semen.
• Advantage #8: Buy Factory Direct

We are proud to offer a unique approach of marketing the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM. We call it Back to the Basics. Imagine that!

Taking care of the producer
For Stampe, it’s always been about the producers. “Every invention has been with the producer in mind. I’m always thinking what can I do to make things more accurate, more efficient, more timely with lower costs and higher profits? The A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM does all of that. The human factor is taken out of it. The camera has no opinions, never makes a mistake and is always on – 24/7 and 365 days a year.” The entire system is made in the United States for both beef and dairy herds. “The Cognex® equipment is fool proof. It has been around for 30 years and never makes a mistake. The gate and race are produced and constructed by Sioux Steel in Sioux Falls. They have 100 years of successful building experience, and the gate and race are incredibly heavy duty. In addition to the normal construction, we can also build the gate and race with stainless steel.”

For more information or to purchase the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM, you can call Stampe at (612) 210-4090 or go on the website and click on the contact us tab and leave your name, email address and a brief message. Then hit submit. Under the tab SMT System, you will find informative videos documenting the use of the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM. Stampe also goes by the philosophy of “have truck and trailer...will travel. I will gladly come to the producer and give a demonstration of how user friendly and totally accurate the A.I.TAGS SMT™ SYSTEM is. This is truly a game changer for both dairy and beef producers. Accuracy + simplicity = lower costs and higher profits!
For more information about us visit www.aitags.com