Pictured are Pat Flanagan judge, Denis Kiely National Dairy Show director, Christy Doherty AXA, Diarmuid McSweeney True North Technologies, Barry Clarke AXA, Ursula Forrest Cork Holstein Friesian Club president and Laurence Feeney IHFA chief executive
This year's National Dairy Innovation Award competition featured a wide range of agricultural products and innovations with the potential to transform the future of farming. All exhibitors at the National Dairy Show were eligible to participate in the competition. The finalists were judged on Friday during the show, followed by a prize-giving ceremony that evening. Judges for each category are experts from agribusinesses, bringing specialized knowledge in their respective fields.
Here are the winners for 2024 for each category:
Technology winners:
1st: Moonsyst
2nd: Creva
The silver award in the technology category was presented to Creva for its Urban HygieneSet UV-C, a non-chemical, environmentally friendly solution for disinfecting teats.
Engineering winners
1st: True North Technologies
True North Technologies, located in Shannon, Co. Clare, was chosen by the judges as the winner of the engineering section as well as the overall winner for its E-Gate Grazing Management System.
The system combines software with a weather station installed on the farm, which is connected through the home's Wi-Fi network. The e-gate utilizes technology to monitor a variety of environmental and device factors, such as fence strength in kilovolts (KVs), gate status (open or closed), device location, temperature, and rainfall. All of this data is transmitted back to the farmer’s phone in real time.
2nd: Autocoupler
The silver prize in the engineering category was awarded to Autocoupler, an automatic hydraulic coupling system designed for use with tractor loaders, shovels, or teleporters.
Best start up
Autocoupler
Science
1st: Biocel
The judges selected Biocel NUVOSAN TeatGard as the winner in the scientific category. This product helps prevent mastitis bacteria and improves teat skin health in dairy cows.
2nd: Burpeez
The silver award went to Burpeez, an eco-friendly netwrap designed to save farmers time and labour when feeding cattle.