The Future of Dairy: SomaDetect and the 4th Industrial Revolution

The world is already well into the 4th industrial revolution - a time when a technology that combines the physical, digital and biological worlds, are introduced in our factories and workplaces. These new technologies can interact, visualize the entire production chain, and make decisions autonomously. 

The impact: drastic improvements in the efficiency of business and organizations and, potentially, the regeneration of the natural environment through better asset management. 

This revolution is expected to impact all disciplines, industries, and economies including the dairy industry where precision dairy farming is already reshaping it. Dairy farms are implementing smart technologies in-farm to improve management strategies, increase efficiency, and enhance farm performance by tracking the behavior of each animal.

We, SomaDetect, are not only proud to be included in this era but are excited by the unlimited possibilities. 

What do we do? 

Our technology applies a combination of a light scattering optical sensor, deep-learning artificial intelligence, and powerful cloud computing. All of this to say that we are striving to provide farmers an accessible solution to bridging the information gaps between themselves and their cows.

“We, SomaDetect, are not only proud to be included in this era but are excited by the unlimited possibilities.”

The sensor can fit into many of the preexisting milking equipment that farmers are familiar with today, and works within the milking line. This is by design, as there is no lost milk, consumables, reagents, or chemicals needed to detect indicators within the milk. Instead, the milk flows through our sensor without restriction as a laser is shot through. From this laser, light bounces off of certain particles in the milk, which is then captured by our optical sensor and processed through our algorithms within the Cloud. 

Though we are still developing many of the models for the data we detect, the potential of this technology is powerful because it allows farmers to make decisions based on accurate scientific data rather than observational input.

What do we want to accomplish?

We want farmers to succeed in today’s society, as the dairy industry is facing a barrage of challenges. 

Unstable milk prices, climate change, and increasing consumer demands all play a part in whether a dairy farmer thrives or fails. By working with farmers, our goal is to deliver them into this age of digitization and to work as a partner towards having them achieve a more productive, efficient, and profitable operation.

Where are we now & where are we heading?

Currently, we have sensors installed on over 5 farms within North America. These early adopter farms are critical in the development of our technology. While our sensors are collecting data, our team is working hard to create farm-specific data models in which this data will be processed through and presented. 

We are working on models for both pregnancy and somatic cell count (SCC). In the future, we are planning on detecting much more, including heat detection, fat/protein content, early disease detection such as for mastitis and ketosis, antibiotic residuals, mycotoxins, and bacteria.

As this industry continues to grow and become more enhanced by technology, we are excited by what we can accomplish for our farmers. We believe in being Farmer First, in supporting them through tough times, and ultimately creating a better future for dairy; by delivering better data to farmers, helping them produce better milk for consumers, and ultimately creating better lives for each and every cow.