What is Precision Livestock Farming? And how does it work with Genetics?
G William Torres , Director of Cattle Operations
Well, it’s a complicated answer with a simple translation. With Earth's
population rapidly building towards nine billion by 2037, every resource we
produce is being stretched thin. Sustainability is no longer a simple
buzzword of the environmental movement, it's now the prime focus of
progress in our world. Though precision agriculture is a concept that has
been around for decades, Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is newer. And
I can summarize it in three key words: “Attention to Detail.”
PLF involves monitoring animals or using objective measurements on the
animals, using?signal analysis?algorithms and?statistical analysis. These
techniques are applied in part with the goal of regaining an advantage of
older, smaller-scale farming, namely detailed knowledge of individual
animals. Think of it as getting back to your roots when you knew every
animal on the farm.
Before large farms became the norm, most farmers had an intimate
knowledge of their livestock. Moreover, a farmer could typically trace an
animal's pedigree and retain other important characteristics. Each animal
was approached as an individual. In the past three decades, farms have
multiplied in scale, with highly-automated processes?for feeding and other
tasks. Consequently, farmers are forced to work with many more animals to
make their living out of livestock farming, so work with average values per
group. Variety has become an impediment to increasing?economies of
scale.
With individual genetic and other information, such as Thermal Efficiency
Indexes from HerdWhistle with the BigEye, one can utilize such
领英推荐
management. Many companies offer individual animal management, but it’s
also applied to the pen or lot of cattle, as “group” management. Think about
it, even from a feeding perspective, you couldn’t possibly have a diet for
each animal, but chances are, many of them can be on the same diet. If
you know and understand how to manage your genetics, you can also
deliver the best diet for them. Cattle are mammals, and just like you and
me, we all gain weight differently. Many of us will have the same genetic
marker for appetite, fat deposition, marbling, etc. Therefore, if we are
grouped together, management can be easier and more lucrative.
Precision feeding involves reducing feed and nutrient waste by only feeding
the precise amount needed to reach optimum production. It's already being
used extensively in the dairy industry, and we should at least think about
implementing on the beef side. The process uses quality data management
and recipe management to ensure that each animal is getting exactly what
they need without wasting precious resources that could be used
elsewhere. Generally speaking, precision feeding reduces the inputs
required on the farm, which lowers farm overhead and improves
profitability.
PLF is developing rapidly and is moving beyond health alarms towards an
integrated decision-making system. It includes animal sensor and
production data but also external data. PLF offers opportunities for the
cattle sector through early disease detection, capturing animal-related
information more objectively and consistently, predicting risks for animal
health and welfare, increasing the efficiency of animal production, and
objectively determining animal affective states.
Contact us at [email protected]