The solution

She makes more trips to the feed barrier, and stays longer.

DMI Impact is a wearable neurostimulation device, worn by a fresh cow for about three weeks after calving. It prompts her to get up between milkings, at times you set. The extra visits to the feed barrier support her dry matter intake, and her ration, your buildings and your genetics stay as they are.

Film 4 of 7Back to the Feed Barrier9:48

Recorded on working US dairies, 2014–2017. Captions cover the narration and the founder on camera.

How it works

More trips, more time, more intake.

A fresh cow eats her day's feed in visits. With a rumen that has lost room, she makes up the difference by coming back more often and staying longer each time.

  1. PromptAt the times you set, between milkings, she is prompted to get up.
  2. UpShe gets up and moves, as she would for any other reason in her day.
  3. Feed barrierShe walks to the feed barrier and stays there longer.
  4. IntakeMore visits and more time add up to more feed eaten each day.

Everything after that is the cow's own response: her energy balance eases because of what she eats. The device's job ends at the feed barrier.

Other wearables measure what cows do. DMI Impact changes what cows do.

The collars, boluses, parlour meters and herd software you already run are what show the change.

Four decisions, all yours

You and your vet decide how it runs.

Every unit is programmed to your farm's milking schedule, and it can follow different schedules within one herd. The more your herd already records, from collars and boluses to parlour meters and robotic milking, the more of your own data shows the change, and the better the prompting can be fitted to your cows.

Rest and rumination come first. That is why the number of prompts is yours to set. Start with one prompt a day, and watch the cows at the time you set. When to look ↓

  1. Which cowscarry a device
  2. How often, and wheneach cow is prompted to get up
  3. Another cycle?whether to run one
  4. Change the prompting?whether to, between cycles

When to look

Green sleeve against penmate, on the round you already make.

The sleeve is bright green, on purpose: anyone walking the pen can pick out the test cows at a glance. Compare each one with the penmate chosen to match her, at moments that are already part of the farm’s day. Give her a week.

WhenWhat to watch, green sleeve against penmateWhy it works
At the prompt time you setUp and walking, at the feed barrier, then staying there, while her penmate stays downYou chose the time, so someone can be there
The walk to the parlourThe order the fresh cows come in, and a green sleeve moving from the back towards the front, week on weekSeen at every milking; in robotic herds, the robot logs it
Feed delivery or push‑upWhich fresh cows come to the barrier first, and which stayIt happens every day, without extra effort
Rest between milkingsWho is lying down chewing her cud, and who is standing idleCud chewing is the sign stockmen already trust
The weekly fresh-cow checkBody condition holding or slipping; appetite; how she carries herself at the barrierYour vet and herd manager already score these

These are things to watch, not things we’ve measured on your farm. You see it first; your collars, boluses, parlour meters and herd software then measure it.

The current DMI Impact unit in its bright green sleeve, dry-fitted on the back of a cow in the headlocks
The current unit in its bright green sleeve, dry-fitted on a cow · US dairy

What it is, and what it isn't

Worn on the outside, for about three weeks.

What it is

A wearable neurostimulation device

Fitted after calving, in the transition pen, and taken off about three weeks later. The sleeve is bright green, on purpose, so the test cows stand out at a glance. The controller unit and stimulator unit are reused; the sleeve, strap and a common agricultural adhesive are single-use.

What it is not

Not a medicine, and not a feed additive

No withdrawal and no residue. Nothing is implanted, injected or ingested. It does not replace treatment, and it does not mask clinical signs.

How it goes on

A few minutes per cow, done once.

Fitted in the transition pen, where your staff already have hands and eyes on the fresh cows. We fit them until you are comfortable doing it yourselves.

A trial kit laid out on a table: green controller units, stimulator units, sleeves, straps and tubes of agricultural adhesive
The trial kit, laid out · Film 4, 6:05
10controller units
10stimulator units
10sleeves
10straps
5tubes of agricultural adhesive
  1. Pre-assembleConnect the controller unit and stimulator unit and seat them in the sleeve, away from the cows.
  2. CleanA curry brush and a towel take off loose hair, dirt and moisture.
  3. Dry-fitLay the sleeve on her to check where the adhesive goes.
  4. AdhesiveGloves on. Spread it on the sleeve’s underside and on the cow, out to the edges.
  5. Sleeve and strapSmooth the sleeve flush, loop the strap underneath, and leave one to two fingers of room. Never tight.

The adhesive takes a few minutes to set before she is on her way. Watch the fitting, step by step (7:24) →

The evidence behind this page · 3 sources

This page describes how the device is used; the research behind the biology is on the Biology and Cost pages, and the farm observations are on the Proof page.

  1. Skuce P (2022) Acting on methane: opportunities for the UK cattle and sheep sectors. Moredun Research Institute for Ruminant Health & Welfare · UK · ruminanthw.org.uk/actingonmethane
  2. González LA, Tolkamp BJ, Coffey MP, Ferret A, Kyriazakis I (2008) Changes in feeding behavior as possible indicators for the automatic monitoring of health disorders in dairy cows. J Dairy Sci · UK · doi.org/10.3168/jds.2007-0530
  3. DMI Impact Film 4, Back to the Feed Barrier (2026): the kit, the four decisions and the fitting steps, as shown on camera by R.T. Barcik, Founder.

Next · Film 5 · The Proof

Who has watched it happen, and what did they see?

The farms that used it watched first and measured second. No farm in Britain has run one yet; the first herds will see it on their own cows, then check it on their own records.

The Proof → Apply for a free trial →
Film 5 · You’ll See It7:28