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Technology can alleviate some of the pain of checking the cows. Allen Leigh Security and Communications, based out of Brandon, Man., sells a system that allows farmers to check the cows from the comfort of their own homes.

Exhibiting at Agri-Trade, Chris Sobchuk of Allen Leigh Security and Communications displays equipment used to monitor cows inside a barn. -- Alexis Kienlen photo

Chris Sobchuk, president of the company, said that the wireless cow camera was first developed in 1994. The company began in 1996 and incorporated in 2009.

A group of farmers in Brandon was monitoring cattle barns a kilometre away from their place of residence. The group developed a wireless camera system that allowed the farmers to check on the cattle without having to make the trek back and forth to the barn.

The camera system cuts down on trips to the barn, prevents farmers from disturbing the cattle and reduces the need to go outside on a cold winter night.

The company has grown over time and now employs five people.

The technology has evolved from UHF wireless frequencies to an Internet protocol camera system.

"We find that a lot of our customers are in their 50s and 60s and are not really into computers so we still have our older technology," said Sobchuk.

The cow cam is connected to the television and can pan, tilt and zoom, which gives the user the ability to enlarge the view of an animal or object by almost 300 times its onscreen size.

A video transmitter is placed in the barn, and transmits signals to the data receiver, which tells the camera what to do. The system is completely wireless.

The video receiver inside the house receives the signal from the camera, and the picture is then transmitted onto a television or a computer equipped with a video capture card.

The system also comes with a PTZ controller. "That's basically where you tell the camera what you want it to do. You can move it up, down, left, right and zoom in and out. The camera is capable of doing 365° of continuous rotation," he said.

The cameras also come with infrared capabilities, good up to 150 feet.

The cameras have heaters and blowers attached to protect the equipment from extreme heat or cold.

-- Alexis Kienlen is a reporter for Alberta Farmer Express in Edmonton.