Takeaways: Artificial Intelligence and Precision Dairy Technology with Dr. Jeffrey Bewley
In August of this year, we launched a video series: Artificial Intelligence and Precision Dairy Technology. In this series, we interviewed dairy technology experts on their thoughts about the future of dairy technology.
Notably, we interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, one of the dairy industry’s top experts on dairy technology. Dr. Jeffrey Bewley is currently a Dairy Analytics and Innovation Scientist at Holstein Association USA. He has spent years working closely with dairy farmers and their herds in optimizing dairy data on the farm. We wanted to pick his brain and extensive knowledge of the dairy industry to hear his dairy technology thoughts. Here are our top three takeaways from our discussion:
Take Away #1: Dairy technology helps farmers achieve more productivity on the farm.
Within the past few years, technology has enabled farmers to produce more milk in a shorter amount of time. The dairy industry has always utilized data in numerous ways; however, we’ve seen that trend dramatically increase over the last decade.
“I see that we will continue down that road of where people will use data as a source of competitive advantage...there’s a real opportunity to glean more from existing sources of data.”
By utilizing both old data and new data, whether from wearables, software, cameras, or sensors, dairy farmers can increase their productivity, profitability, and the overall health of their herds.
“With new data sources and new ways of looking at data, we have the potential to be more proactive and being able to identify scenarios before they occur, and that’s really where the real power of data is.”
Take Away #2: Artificial intelligence allows farmers to understand their herd’s biological processes with increased precision.
“The dairy farmer is combining multiple sources of data in their minds, all the time, to make decisions. Artificial intelligence provides us with the opportunity to mimic that process through a computer.”
Artificial intelligence opens up a myriad of opportunities in the dairy industry. Anyone familiar with the industry knows there are many complexities within its ecosystem. From understanding the cow’s biological processes to the logistical elements of delivering milk to millions of people, artificial intelligence presents an opportunity to solve some of the industry’s greatest challenges by capturing and communicating data more effectively across the dairy supply chain.
“New ways of looking at data: artificial intelligence, neural networks, fuzzy logic, all these sorts of techniques provide us with the opportunity to more accurately reflect the biological complexity and reality of the dairy system.”
Take Away #3: The biggest opportunities lie in milk-based and image-based technologies.
When talking about technology, the cost can be an important (if not the most important) factor. Dairy farmers are working with tight margins so managing resources efficiently is critical for their success. “With those technologies, we’re able to take a fixed cost and spread it over more animals, as opposed to having a variable cost that’s attached to every animal.”
“These allow us to be more specific, and I think it’s really exciting because it’s very easy for those of us that work in the industry to think of a dozen biomarkers that we could look at, but I think there are dozens we don’t even know what they are yet.”
Current technologies, such as wearable devices, predict the heat and health statuses of cows by tracking indirect behavioral changes. However, these solutions don’t include the biological data needed to confirm the status indicators of each cow. Rather, image-based technologies can look at direct biological and physiological indicators within the milk, such as SCC or progesterone, so farmers can have a more accurate view of their herd.
There’s a digital change happening in the industry, one that stems from the usage of technology for years within the dairy industry. SomaDetect is excited to be part of this change and join the companies, partners, and supporters, making this transition happen.
We thank Dr. Jeffrey Bewley for sharing his insights on the subject and encouraging others to learn more about the industry’s exciting emerging technologies! To watch our full interview with Dr. Bewley, check out the video below, and thanks for tuning in!