DVM Systems an easier pill to swallow.

• Author: Romig, Suzie
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT

With help from nearby universities, Greeley-based DVM Systems developed a temperature-tracking bolus--or a large plastic pill--that ranchers can administer orally to track the health of a dairy cow.

The TempTrack bolus incorporates a wireless RFID, or radio frequency identification microchip, encased in a 3-by-l inch capsule that remains in the cow's stomach.

Five entrepreneurs, including a medical doctor from a ranching family, founded DVM in 2009. They spent more than three years perfecting the pill and accompanying software. Research came from five universities including Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado.

TempTrack now is in use at more than 30 dairy farms across the world from Australia to Taiwan to help owners detect animal illnesses earlier and better estimate calving times.

After a...