Digital technology adoption in livestock production with a special focus on ruminant farming

Abstract

Digitalisation is an integral part of modern agriculture. Several digital technologies are available for different animal species and form the basis for precision livestock farming. However, there is a lack of clarity as to which digital technologies are currently used in agricultural practice. Thus, this work aims to present for the first time the status quo in Swiss livestock farming as an example of a highly developed, small-scale and diverse structured agriculture. In this context, the article focuses on the adoption of electronic sensors and measuring devices, electronic controls and electronic data-processing options and the usage of robotics in ruminant farming, namely, for dairy cattle, dairy goats, suckler cows, beef cattle and meat-sheep. Furthermore, the use of electronic ear tags for pigs and the smartphone usage for barn monitoring on poultry farms was assessed. To better understand the adoption process, farm and farmer’s characteristics associated with the adoption of (1) implemented and (2) new digital technologies in ruminant farming were assessed using regression analyses, which is classified at a 10% adoption hurdle. The results showed clear differences in the adoption rates between different agricultural enterprises, with both types of digital technologies tending to be used the most in dairy farming. Easy-to-use sensors and measuring devices such as those integrated in the milking parlour were more widespread than data processing technologies such as those used for disease detection. The husbandry system further determined the use of digital technologies, with the result that farmers with tie stall barns were less likely to use digital technologies than farmers with loose housing systems. Additional studies of farmers’ determinants and prospects of implementation can help identify barriers in the adoption of digital technologies.

Extension and Advisory Organizations on the Road to the Digitalization of Animal Farming: An Organizational Learning Perspective

“…When uncertainty or resource constraints make the initiation of frame-breaking changes difficult, morphostasis is a wiser strategy. On the other hand, agricultural digitalization is expected to be a lengthy and non-uniform process because of the high heterogeneity of both digital technologies [113] and farming systems [114]. Hence, morphostatic change, albeit more trivial and perhaps mundane, is considered a safe choice because organizations believe that minor adaptations are enough to keep them effective at least in the short term.…”

Do we automatically detect health- or general welfare-related issues? A framework

“…However, despite years of research and numerous studies focusing on the development or validation of PLF technologies for the assessment of health-related changes, to date only a few systems are commercially available [ 3 ]. Further, the implementation rate of the available systems on commercial farms is in some countries strikingly low [ 4 , 5 ]. The discrepancy between commercialization, implementation and research can be largely attributed to the missing breakthrough in reliable predictive models and a sound return on investment.…”

Behavioral Monitoring Tool for Pig Farmers: Ear Tag Sensors, Machine Intelligence, and Technology Adoption Roadmap

“…Within the category of wearables, a variety of smart collars are commercially available that incorporate motion sensors, cameras, and/or microphones to record the daily activities of animals (e.g., dogs, cats, cattle, laboratory mice, sheep, goats, monkeys, marine life, and avian) [10]. The smart collars gather information about the physical location, movement, body temperature, grazing, and drinking behavior of these animals (Table 1).…”