TECHNOLOGY FOR NUTRITIONISTS & THE FARMERS THEY WORK WITH

Early in June we had the pleasure of hosting the Cornell-Miner Dairy Nutrition and Management Short Course – a 4-day immersive experience blending classroom instruction, hands-on skill development, and invaluable networking. With around 75 early-career nutritionists and allied industry professionals along with Cornell faculty, Pro-Dairy staff, Lallemand staff, and Miner Institute staff, the course offered a dive into the principles of dairy cattle nutrition and their practical application on farms. One of the highlights for me was the informal conversations during the breaks, lunches, and dinners that provided perspectives on dairy farming across the US and around the world.

During our round robin sessions at our dairy farm, I led discussions on the technologies we use at Miner Institute and those being adopted by participants and the farmers they work with. It’s easy to get swept up in the buzz around AI and machine learning technology, but at its core, technology is simply the application of scientific knowledge to solve problems and improve lives – whether it’s a basic tool or a complex system. In a quest to understand what technology is “out there” to help dairy farmers, I came across the “Dairy Farm Tech v3.0” logo poster by Progressive Dairy and IFCN, which identified 251 companies innovating across 11 technology categories – from herd health to feed management to people management. Some of these technologies are from start-ups touching fewer than 100,000 cows each and then ranging all the way to well-established companies impact over a million cows each.

At Miner Institute, we have several technologies that have become integral to our daily operations. One of the more impactful ones is wearable sensors that monitor cow activity and rumination. These devices help us detect health issues early, identify cows ready for breeding, and improve overall herd performance. Many of the participants echoed this sentiment, noting that wearables are either widely used by farmers they work with or high on their wish lists. A recent University of Wisconsin Technology Adoption Survey, led by Victor Cabrera and Gustavo Mazon, found that over 70% of farmer respondents used wearables on their animals. Another useful tool for us is the Scio Cup, a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer that determines forage dry matter in just 1 to 3 minutes per sample. This rapid analysis allows us to make timely adjustments to rations without slowing down feeding. Some participants noted the growing use of air fryers for dry matter determination due to their low cost but they acknowledged the trade-off in speed and convenience. Drone technology is allowing us to track the volume of our silage piles and make better feed inventory decisions and predict when bunk changes will occur. This technology was not used much by the participants. However, some participants indicated that their feed mills used grain bin monitoring systems to track inventory (one less job for the farmer) and coordinate grain deliveries more efficiently across multiple farm sites. Other technologies that participants highlighted as useful on farms that they work with included: feeding management software, robotic feed pushers, and cameras to monitor feed availability at the bunk. Some participants shared the usefulness of virtual fences for farmers that graze their cattle.

During our discussions we touched on the idea of a “technology graveyard” – tools that have fallen out of favor or failed to deliver on their promises. Interestingly, there weren’t too many specific technologies that participants wanted to bury. Instead, the consensus was that most technologies fail not because they’re inherently flawed, but because of a “people problem.” Challenges arise from unrealistic expectations (especially in regards to labor savings or needs), lack of maintenance, and steep learning curves. Clear expectation, proper training, and tech support are critical for their successful adoption.

What technologies are you using – or retiring – on your farm? I‘d love to hear about them.

— Heather Dann

dann@whminer.com