Merck Animal Health Introduces SENSEHUB® Dairy Youngstock

Leading-edge technology provides 24/7 monitoring for better
and more labor-efficient calf management

RAHWAY, N.J., April 3, 2024 – Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced the introduction of SENSEHUB® Dairy Youngstock, the industry’s first monitoring technology for dairy calves from birth through the first 12 months of life.

New SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock makes it easier for dairy producers to detect and locate calves and heifers that need attention. Proprietary, science-based algorithms constantly monitor animal behaviors through the special SENSEHUB monitoring ear tag. The technology identifies animals that exhibit behaviors that fall outside their individual norms, indicating they may need attention. The SENSEHUB monitoring ear tag incorporates a blinking LED light so workers can quickly and easily locate those animals and apply appropriate interventions. SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock is easy to implement with support from the Merck Animal Health team.

“This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we raise calves and heifers,” said Brandt Kreuscher, dairy business development manager, North America, Merck Animal Health. “For the first time, dairy producers can harness objective data to find calves that may need extra care and then provide early intervention to keep them on a path toward becoming healthy and productive cows.”

Research shows that calves diagnosed with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are more than twice as likely to die or be removed from the herd before their first calving. Furthermore, heifers experiencing calfhood BRD have lower average daily gain and produce less milk during their first lactations.1

Calves have a natural tendency to hide symptoms of disease. SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock helps to overcome this instinctive behavior by identifying potential signs of illness, often before symptoms are apparent to caregivers.

The new technology also allows dairy producers to use labor more efficiently.

“With SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock, dairy workers can focus their valuable time and resources on the calves and heifers that need attention, leaving the others alone,” Kreuscher said. “The efficiency associated with the technology allows herd managers to adjust the workflow on their operation and more effectively utilize their best employees.”

The new monitoring technology has facilitated better calf health management at Diamond H Dairy of Chowchilla, California.

“With the SENSEHUB system, instead of looking at 800 calves, we can focus on the 30, 40 or 50 that are on the list every day,” says Travis Hooker at Diamond H Dairy. “Having this technology allows us to more closely manage every little piece of each calf’s life.”

SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock is compatible with management systems involving nipple-fed calves housed in individual hutches from birth to weaning, and post-weaning calves housed in group pens from three to 12 months of age. Monitoring tags are attached as part of neonatal calf processing and begin generating actionable data within 27 hours.

Dairy producers should consult with their veterinarians for guidance on disease diagnosis and protocols for intervention. For more information about SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock, visit SENSEHUB-Dairy.com.

SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock is part of the SENSEHUB family of brands from Merck Animal Health, providing advanced monitoring technology to put dairy and beef producers in control of every aspect of their operations. SENSEHUB Dairy delivers actionable insights for optimal dairy herd productivity and management. For feedlot, backgrounding and stocker operations, SENSEHUB Feedlot can help to detect potentially sick cattle earlier, more efficiently and more accurately than traditional visual observation.

1. Buczinski S., Archard D., Timsit E. Effects of calfhood respiratory disease on health and performance of dairy cattle: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Dairy Sci. July 2021. 104(7):8214-8277.

SENSEHUB Dairy Youngstock, SENSEHUB Dairy and SENSEHUB Feedlot are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease in animals. For the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of disease in animals, you should consult your veterinarian. The accuracy of the data collected and presented through this product is not intended to match that of medical devices or scientific measurement devices.

Merck Animal Health introduces SENSEHUB^® Dairy Youngstock technology, allowing 24/7 monitoring of calves and heifers for better and more labor-efficient management.

The SENSEHUB^® Dairy Youngstock monitoring ear tag incorporates a blinking LED light so workers can quickly and easily locate animals that need attention and apply the appropriate interventions.

About Merck Animal Health

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals^®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, producers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA

            This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

            The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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