CowManager

What CowManager does

CowManager B.V. is a Netherlands-headquartered ag-tech company that develops ear sensor monitoring systems for dairy farmers. Founded in the late 2000s/early 2010s by Gerard Griffioen, a dairy producer, the company pioneered active ear tag technology that combines ear temperature measurement with continuous monitoring of eating, rumination, and activity to provide real-time alerts on cow health, fertility, nutrition, and transition periods. A peer-reviewed Iowa State University study validates ear temperature as an effective diagnostic signal, and the company holds an estimated dominant share of the US ear-sensor market (9 out of 10 ear-sensor cows per its 2017 claim). In 2026 the company extended into a second sensor category with the Milk Sensor, which monitors each udder quarter during milking to detect mastitis deviations.

The product architecture is modular: a base Ear Sensor and Milk Sensor feed a cloud platform accessible via mobile app and desktop Control Center, with five monitoring modules (Health, Fertility, Transition, Nutrition, Youngstock) and additional tools (Find my Cow, Auto Drafting/Sort my Cow, MultiView, Fertility Insights). Hardware is sold upfront while software and modules are sold as recurring annual subscriptions, yielding a hybrid revenue model. Pricing is quote-based through local dealers, with the company marketing a 1-2 year payback period. Distribution is exclusively through authorized dealers, anchored by Select Sires Inc. (exclusive North American dealer since 2014), CentralStar, World Wide Sires, and a dedicated CowManager NZ entity, with operations in the Netherlands, Shawano (Wisconsin, USA), and Hamilton (New Zealand). The 2022 global partnership with Zoetis further extends distribution leverage.

The company serves more than 2,000 dairy farmers across 30+ countries and maintains an installed base spanning SMB herds (100-300 cows) through large enterprises (up to 10,000+ cows). Customers cite measurable outcomes including 3-5 percentage point pregnancy rate increases, 1-2 year payback, up to 90% reduction in synchronization protocols, and early disease detection versus visual observation. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and family-owned (founder/CEO lineage through the Griffioen family), with no disclosed external venture capital or private equity investment.

Name

CowManager

Legal name

CowManager B.V.

Website

https://cowmanager.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CowManager B.V. is a Netherlands-based ag-tech company that develops ear sensor monitoring systems for dairy farmers, delivering real-time health, fertility, and nutrition alerts across 2,000+ farms in 30+ countries through a modular hardware-and-subscription platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Livestock Monitoring

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock Precision Monitoring Software (Herd/Flock Analytics, Health Alerts) (AFAAAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Monitoring & Wearables (Activity, Rumination, Health Sensors) (AFAAAIAG), Herd Management Software & Identification (RFID, EID, Data Platforms) (AFAAAIAH), Livestock & Dairy Equipment (IMAHACAG)

Keywords

• Dairy cow monitoring
• Ear sensor technology
• Precision dairy farming
• Livestock health tracking
• Cattle fertility detection

Headquarters

HQ city

Harmelen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ear Sensor Hardware: Sale of ear sensors that monitor cow health, fertility, and nutrition. Sensors come with lifetime warranty and are designed for continuous monitoring throughout the cow's life.
2. Software Subscription: Ongoing subscription for cloud-based software access, real-time alerts, and data analysis. The system uses over-the-air programming updates for continuous improvements.
3. Module Add-ons: Additional paid modules including Health, Fertility, Transition & Nutrition, and Youngstock modules that provide specialized monitoring capabilities.
4. Extra Functionalities: Premium add-ons such as Find my Cow, Sort my Cow, Draft my Cow, Auto Drafting, and MultiView for enhanced herd management capabilities.
5. Router and Infrastructure: Sale of routers (WIB2000, WIB910, WIB2100) and solar sets for network infrastructure that connects sensors to cloud storage.
6. Professional Services: Installation support, training, and ongoing technical support provided through dealer network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CowManager develops and sells an ear sensor-based cow monitoring system for dairy farmers that continuously measures ear temperature along with activity, rumination, eating, and resting behavior. Data is transmitted via wireless routers to cloud-based software that delivers real-time alerts for health issues (up to 3 days before clinical signs), heat detection, transition monitoring, and nutrition insights. The platform is sold as modular subscriptions (Health, Fertility, Transition, Nutrition, Youngstock) alongside the core ear sensor hardware.

Product overview

CowManager offers a unified cow monitoring platform built around ear sensor technology combined with a new Milk Sensor. The core platform consists of the Ear Sensor and Milk Sensor feeding data into a cloud-based software platform accessible via mobile app and web application. The system is sold as a modular architecture with five core monitoring modules (Health, Fertility, Transition, Nutrition, Youngstock) and several extra functionalities/tools (Find my Cow, Auto Drafting, MultiView, Sort my Cow, Fertility Insights). The Ear Sensor monitors ear temperature combined with eating, rumination, and activity for early health alerts and heat detection. The Milk Sensor monitors every udder quarter during milking. Additional tools include cow locator devices, sorting gate integrations, and a desktop Control Center application.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CowManager Ear Sensor A wireless ear-mounted sensor that continuously measures ear temperature combined with eating, rumination, and activity behavior, transmitting data to cloud software for real-time alerts on health, fertility, and nutrition. Designed for lifetime use on individual cows and sold as the core hardware of the CowManager system for dairy farmers worldwide.
• CowManager Milk Sensor A milking parlor sensor that monitors each udder quarter individually during milking to detect early signs of mastitis and optimize milking performance. Provides clear actionable alerts when deviations are identified and is sold as a complementary sensor to the Ear Sensor for dairy operations.
• Health Module A software subscription module that provides early disease detection alerts up to 3 days before clinical illness signs, covering conditions such as mastitis, ketosis, and pneumonia. Tracks rumination, eating patterns, and ear temperature deviations to identify sick cows and monitor recovery. Sold to dairy farmers as a paid add-on to the base CowManager system.
• Fertility Module A software subscription module that detects heat cycles with high accuracy and identifies optimal insemination timing. Tracks cycling, pregnancy status, and abortion detection. Sold as a paid add-on to dairy farmers seeking improved reproductive performance.
• Transition Monitor A software subscription module that monitors cows during the critical transition period up to 50 days pre-calving and through the first 30 days after calving. Identifies cows at risk for metabolic diseases such as ketosis and milk fever by tracking eating and rumination patterns. Sold as a paid module for dairy farmers.
• Nutrition Monitor A software subscription module that monitors feed management by identifying when individual cows are not eating or ruminating like the herd. Supports heat stress prevention and enables data-driven ration adjustments. Sold as a paid add-on to dairy farmers.
• Youngstock Monitor A software subscription module that monitors calf and youngstock health from approximately 14 days old, enabling early disease detection and supporting increased future milk production. Sold as a paid module for dairy farmers raising replacement heifers.
• Find my Cow A handheld cow locator tool with a 7-color LED interface that guides users to individual cows within up to 300 meters. Helps locate cows in heat, sick cows, or cows in wrong pens within seconds. Sold as a paid add-on to dairy farmers using the CowManager system.
• Auto Drafting Integration functionality that automatically separates cows with heat or health alerts from the rest of the herd through sorting gate connections. Supports integration with Protrack and other management systems. Sold as a paid add-on capability for dairy operations.
• MultiView A collaborative access feature that allows staff, veterinarians, nutritionists, and other advisors to view selected cow data remotely. Enables collaborative herd management and informed decision-making across the dairy operation's advisory team. Sold as a paid add-on capability.
• Sort my Cow (USA) An automated sorting functionality available in the US market that uses the CowManager sorting gate to automatically separate cows flagged with heat or health alerts. Sold as a paid add-on to dairy operations.
• Coordinator/Router (WIB2000, WIB910, WIB2100) Network coordinator routers (models WIB2000, WIB910, and long-range WIB2100 with solar set option) that collect and transmit sensor data from cow ear tags to cloud storage. Required infrastructure hardware sold as part of the CowManager system deployment.
• CowManager Mobile App A smartphone application for iOS and Android that provides 24/7 real-time access to herd data, alerts, and management features for the CowManager platform. Available to dairy farmer customers as part of the system subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Health alerts 1-3 days before clinical signs
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Select Sires Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014North America's largest AI organization became CowManager's dealer in the US and Canada in 2014. Partnership represents strong cooperation with shared mission of improving dairy farm productivity and profitability. Select Sires provides local presence, reliable personnel, and dairy expertise.
• Herd Management Systems (Various)coreTechnology or IntegrationCowManager integrates with a large number of herd management systems worldwide. Two-way interfaces allow farmers to see cow data simultaneously in both systems, providing very accurate 24/7 information about cows.
• CentralStarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS dealer providing CowManager products along with genetic consulting services. Award program recognizes top CowManager specialists.
• CowManager NZcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDedicated New Zealand operation managing distribution and support in NZ market. Jared Bekhuis serves as general manager.
• World Wide Sires DeutschlandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresented at EuroTier 2018 alongside own stand, showcasing CowManager features to European dairy producers.
• World Wide SiresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributes CowManager in New Zealand and Australia. Technicians undertake inseminations and provide technical support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health): Direct competitor in livestock identification and monitoring; offers ear tags, RFID, and cow-monitoring solutions serving the same dairy farmer customers as CowManager.
• Afimilk (Afikim): Direct peer offering dairy cow monitoring, heat detection, and herd management software/hardware to commercial dairy operations worldwide.
• Nedap: Direct competitor providing cow identification, heat detection, and herd management solutions used by dairy farmers globally.

Emerging players

• smaXtec: Emerging competitor using intraruminal bolus sensors for early disease detection and fertility monitoring in dairy cows, addressing the same use cases as CowManager's ear sensor.
• Moonsyst: Emerging player providing rumination and temperature monitoring for dairy cattle, addressing similar early-disease-detection and fertility use cases as CowManager.

Broad incumbents

• DeLaval: Broad incumbent in dairy farming equipment and automation, offering milking systems and herd management software that overlap with CowManager's monitoring capabilities.
• Lely: Broad incumbent in dairy automation (robotic milking, feeding, and barn equipment) with adjacent herd-monitoring offerings competing for the same dairy farm budgets.
• BouMatic: Established dairy equipment provider offering milking systems and herd management technology, overlapping with CowManager's dairy farm customer base.
• Zoetis: Global animal-health leader and CowManager's 2022 global partner; also offers competing dairy monitoring solutions (e.g., via Vetscan) to overlapping dairy farmer customers.

Others

• Select Sires Inc. North America's largest AI organization and CowManager's exclusive US/Canada dealer since 2014; comparable as a closely integrated channel partner serving the same dairy farmer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/cowmanager
• Facebookfacebook.com/CowManager
• LinkedInnl.linkedin.com/company/cowmanager-bv
• Instagraminstagram.com/cowmanagers
• Pinterestnl.pinterest.com/cowmanager
• Xx.com/cowmanager

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CowManager