Collecting data is an important part of farming with trends moving towards precision farming, though it can be a time consuming process so new ways of doing this task are being looked into. Automation including 3D vision technology and individual water recording systems have a lot of potential and can help in genetic selection, animal welfare and boosting efficiency. A ‘smart drinker’ can help identify sick animals using changes in their water consumption. and can also provide information on growth performance, health status, feed intake and carcass quality. Water meters can assess water wastage as well, helping to reduce costs. The 3D vision technology can produce data on primal cut yield, fatness or lean yield and size of loin or belly compared to the size of the ham. Ongoing research is being done to improve its accuracy and efficiency.
On Farm Automation Takes Off (full article)
