Oakwood Dairy’s Experience with Nedap SmartSight

At Aurora-Oakwood Dairy in Auburn, New York, animal health and welfare are at the heart of everything the team does. The farm is home to 2,300 milking cows, 1,700 youngstock, and about 4,500 acres of cropland, making it one of multiple dairies that form the Aurora Ridge Group. With nearly 40 employees working between the cow and crop sides, Aurora-Oakwood is large enough to require efficient systems, but still focuses on individual animals to maximize cow care.

A Progressive Approach to Hoof Health

Herd Manager Greg Kowalewski explains: “Our philosophy here is a healthy, safe environment for our cows and the people who work here, providing a nutritious, quality product to our consumers and taking care of the land.”

For Greg and his team, technology plays a vital role in achieving those goals. When Nedap introduced the SmartSight system, a smart camera that automatically detects lameness, Oakwood quickly saw its potential.

Seeing What the Human Eye Can’t

Hoof trimmer Scott Olsenwik has partnered with Oakwood Dairy for over 13 years. With two decades of trimming experience and previous work as a dairy farm manager, he knows that timing is everything. “One of the biggest challenges of a hoof trimmer is catching these cows at an early stage in the lameness cycle before they drop on milk production or it affects repro,” Scott explains.

SmartSight has transformed that process. The system continuously monitors cows and flags subtle changes in locomotion before they become visible to the human eye. “What caught my eye was how quick they catch the cow and it’s just amazing to see the difference when they’re caught that quick,” Scott says. “When they return, the cow gets back, she doesn’t lose the milk production. They just bounce right back.”

Previously, lameness detection at Aurora-Oakwood depended on farm staff watching cows during routine work. “Before the camera system, guys might only watch cows once a week,” Scott recalls. “With SmartSight, cows are monitored three times a day. There’s a big difference—the cameras are picking everything up.”

Less Stress, More Efficiency

Both Scott and Greg agree the benefits extend beyond early detection. By focusing only on the cows that need attention, Aurora-Oakwood has reduced unnecessary trims and avoided disrupting healthy animals. “With the introduction of the SmartSight camera system, we’ve shifted how we trim cows,” Greg explains. “We no longer rely only on a protocol based list through DairyComp. Instead, we focus on the cows that truly need attention. Less stress on her, less stress on us—everyone’s happier.”

For Scott, this means fewer severe cases to manage and a lighter workload. “By using the SmartSight camera, we’re able to catch these cows quicker, which makes my job a lot easier. I’m a lot less tired at the end of the day when I’m not trimming lesions that are so bad. If we catch them early, it’s quicker for me and quicker for the cow.”

The system also integrates seamlessly with Aurora-Oakwood’s DairyComp herd management software. Each trim is recorded and automatically linked with SmartSight’s locomotion scores, allowing the team to track lesions and monitor recovery. “Now with SmartSight, we can look at a cow’s graph and see her locomotion trend over time,” Greg says. “If she’s moving back toward healthy, we know the trim worked. If she’s staying in lame or severe, she goes back to the trimmer. That’s a big improvement over just checking her off as done.”

Measurable Results and a Stronger Future

The results have been clear: fewer severely lame cows, reduced treatment costs, and less milk loss. Greg notes, “With SmartSight, we’re finding cows quicker and they’re not becoming as severely lame. That means we’re not overcrowding our lame cow pen, and cows can stay in general population. The system is saving us time, reducing stress for the cows, and keeping milk in the tank.”

For Scott, the improvement in cow recovery times stands out. “We can keep these cows around longer by doing proactive trimming and catching these cows before they get too far gone,” he says.

A Clear Recommendation

Both men see SmartSight as essential for the future of progressive dairies. “Part of our philosophy is we adopt technology, but only if it works,” Greg emphasizes. “SmartSight is certainly something we can believe in, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to do a better job identifying lame cows and having a stronger hoof health program.”

Scott agrees, adding: “I do see the need for dairies to implement this technology. The more eyes on the cows, the better, and that’s what SmartSight gives us.”

At Oakwood Dairy, SmartSight has become more than a tool. It’s a partner in creating healthier cows, happier employees, and a more sustainable operation for the future.

Learn more about Nedap SmartSight