What does precision agriculture look like in the dairy sector? A recent USDA study focused on that topic. Jonathan McFadden says drivers behind the increase of precision dairy applications include:
“Linkage between consolidation, size economies and greater activity overall in the dairy sector afforded by these types of technologies.”
So, what tech and tools are available in the dairy grower’s toolbox regarding precision agriculture?
“Three different general beams of precision dairy technologies: milking technologies, breeding technologies and then data and decision support technologies.”
There are robotic milking systems, but also in play are nonrobotic milking technologies, such as:
“Computerized milking system or milking units with automatic takeoffs.”
Examples of breeding technologies include:
“Embryo transfer and artificial insemination, which has an earlier technology, although still embeds a certain level of precision, nonetheless.”
And in the realm of data decision support within precision dairy:
“Those would be things as relatively low tech as individual cow production records all the way up to computerized feed delivery, as well as nutritionist-designed diets.”
The ERS precision dairy study covered a two-decade period starting in 2000. As expected, such technologies have steadily increased across the dairy sector, with the latest data measured in 2021.
“At least 90% of milk production came from farms using individual cow production records, nutritionist-designed feed or breeding technologies like artificial insemination and transplant.”
Yet an important concept in precision ag, as reflected in the precision dairy study:
“Adoption of combinations of technologies. Some of that’s because the technologies come automatically bundled, or there are just other economic incentives whereby the farmer would want to sort of use them in combination.”
Also, adoption of precision dairy tech and robotic milking varied based on additional factors. By region:
“Farmers that are using all three technology types, we find that adoption tends to be highest in an area called the Fruitful Rim.”
A region of the Southwest from California to Texas. Herd size also determined the use of robotic milking:
“Adoption tends to be most concentrated in the size class of around 150 to 499 head of cows,” due to optimal economic factors for that size of dairy herd.