How Technology Could Revolutionize Livestock Protection
People working in agriculture and ranching should embrace digital transformation, as it could increase their livestock’s health and happiness. Novel tech reimagines livestock protection, marrying two seemingly unrelated industries. Here’s how everything from artificial intelligence to RFID tags makes it more rewarding to tend to animals.
Precision Livestock Farming
Precision livestock farming (PLF) leverages automation, sensors, data and digital monitoring systems to offer more curated, informed animal care. Only 27% of U.S. farms employed PLF in 2023, but the number is slowly increasing. A suite involves numerous peripherals but does not need to have them all. Some assets include:
- Heart rate monitoring
- Smart collars and ear tags
- Temperature sensors
- Behavioral tracking
- Biometrics for profiling and recognition
- Electronic identification for tracking movement and inventory
- Thermal imaging and cameras
The devices should integrate with more resources to make them operate better. For example, AI-powered wearable devices provide insights into behavior shifts and disease detection based on historical and incoming data. Health oversight and environmental awareness are the prominent advantages of these tools. Consider how noticing changing movement patterns of cows could indicate poor grazing opportunities or the introduction of an invasive species.
GPS Tracking and Geofencing
GPS tracking and digital borders help track and contain livestock for more amplified awareness. Breaches from inside and outside geofences could alert ranchers of incoming dangers such as predators or trespassers. Real-time monitoring provides peace of mind, primarily when agriculturalists work off-site and need to check in with their animals. Custom notifications and alerts make farm managers more mindful of behaviors.
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Additionally, virtual fences — which can get even more personalized with augmented and virtual reality integrations — guide animals without harmful physical structures, such as electric or spiked fencing. It allows animal carers to do what is best for their population and keep them within boundaries.
Drones and Automated Remote Surveillance
Remote monitoring systems’ versatility gives ranchers more agency than ever. Drones, cameras and sensors are only a few on the market. Many of these tools have remote sensing capabilities infused with satellite imaging for keeping tabs on animals and vegetation. It could reduce the need for excessive hands-on operations and enable learning more about animals’ day-to-day patterns.
These remote systems are programmable for automation. Track movement to turn perimeter lights off and on, set timed automated feeding systems or schedule devices to clean areas based on sensor data.
Detecting hazards over large areas becomes simpler, expediting emergency care and helping distressed livestock. Sensor-powered cameras also watch over pregnant and just-born animals when they are most vulnerable and physically strained. It adds extra eyes to reduce disease risk and make farms more sustainable and resilient.
Blockchain for Traceability and Transparency
Blockchain is an advanced asset that helps animal well-being and improves communication with business partners. Smart contracts and hashes verify transactions in secure environments, promising higher transparency. Verifying the animal’s source becomes more straightforward and clients can rest assured the data is authentic. Blockchain’s structure inherently prevents fraud and simplifies authentication.
Robotic Herding Systems
Robotic herding systems are a series of autonomous robots. They can do everything from herding to delivering necessary supplies. They free up time for ranchers to dedicate to more high-value responsibilities, such as making client connections or doing large-scale renovations on the ranch. It also increases animals’ freedom and agency because there are fewer invasive and potentially stressful interactions with humans.
Improving the Lives of Livestock
It may not seem worth investing so much into modern ranching technologies when conventional methods have worked for millennia. However, the amount of knowledge people in agriculture could gain from having these on hand would bring the sector into a new era of productivity, efficiency and knowledge. It is time for industry professionals to embrace digital transformation to see how to serve their communities through technology better.
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