Artificial Intelligence Future of Livestock farming

Dr Mandeep Singh Azad, Dr Kawardeep Kour
The day is not far when a drone will knock your door step to deliver milk with the desired fat and SNF percentage. The milk composition will exactly match as per your health requirement. Technology has redefined farming over the years and technological advances have affected the agriculture and livestock industry in more ways than one. Agriculture is the mainstay occupation in many countries worldwide and with rising population, which as per UN projections will increase from 7.5 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050, there will be more pressure on land as there will be only an extra 4% of land, which will come under cultivation by 2050. This means that farmers will have to do more with less. According to the same survey, the food production will have to increase by 60% to feed an additional two billion people. However, traditional methods are not enough to handle this huge demand. This is driving farmers and agro companies to find newer ways to increase production and reduce waste. As a result, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily emerging a part of the agriculture industry’s technological evolution. The challenge is to increase the global food production by 50% by 2050 to feed an additional two billion people.AI-powered solutions will not only enable farmers to improve efficiencies but they will also improve quantity, quality and ensure faster go-to-market for crops and livestock products.
Basically, machines powered by Artificial Intelligence can not only act, but also understand and analyze. It has the potential to revolutionize human lifestyle. As a matter of fact, AI is still at a very nascent stage and the opportunities it could unravel, is still ambiguous. It is projected that eventually, AI will bring about qualitative progress and innovation, enhancing individual and societal well-being and the common good.Introduced in the 1950s, many AI methods have been developed or extended recently with the improvement of computer performance. Recent developments have been fueled by the interfaces created between AI and other disciplines, such as bio-medicine, as well as massive data from different fields, particularly those associated with healthcare. We are moving from the information era to artificial intelligence era. It is not data or information that will be used but the intelligence extracted from data to build solutions for the common citizens’ use. The strengths we have in India are that we have a vast IT talent pool, freedom from legacy assets, highest rate of data consumption and growth and rapid digitization across sectors. We need a significant focus to exploit this technology for disruptive growth to move from the existing economy to the new digital economy. Being one of the few global economies to have implemented and perfected automated AI processes across diverse sectors, India is definitely leading in the AI usage trends. As per a study by Salesforce, India ranks third after Singapore and Hong-Kong in the Asia Pacific region, in terms of artificial intelligence readiness
Businessmen looking to invest in the Livestock industry have noted the increased spending power of the consumers and their willingness to pay a premium in order to have fresh and hygienic livestock products. As a result, it is expected that there will be investments made in this sector which will aid the introduction of technological advancements both in logistics and farm management. AI is one such technology which needs immediate implementation in the livestock industry. AI will help livestock farms accumulate and analyze data to accurately predict consumer behavior, like buying patterns, leading trends, etc. With increased investments, farms will be enabled to automate processes, reduce major costs and improve the quality of livestock products like milk. Artificial Intelligence, will be a disrupting inclusion into this industry. Today local farmers and large dairy farms use fodder without much understanding of its impact on the milk. Changes in the fodder content and lifestyle of the animal, the weather and atmosphere, all of it have an impact on the production of milk and the quality as well.As Artificial intelligence and machine learning become more common and easily available, it is expected, that the use of such technology in the dairy industry will automate most of the farm processes while at the same time produce information based on the farm’s operational history.Researchers believe that the future is in sensors, robots and artificial intelligence (AI).
The AI technology has been successfully adopted by several industries, and now it is set to revolutionize the future of farming with drones, robots and intelligent monitoring systems.A technique for monitoring the health of farm animals / dairy cattle with a high degree of accuracy uses a camera and artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve a “smart” cowhouse. Detailed observation by AI-powered image analysis could enable early detection of injuries and illnesses that could impact the quantity and quality of milk production.Have you ever thought how emerging technologies will affect agriculture in the long run to optimize management and profitability? We have seen the implementation of robotic milking machines, brushes for added cow comfort, and automatic calf feeders on dairy farms across the country and world. But, imagine a data system that monitors your cows’ activities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from lameness and estrous detection to dry matter intake (DMI). With a new technology that recognizes each cow in the barn, this dairy farmer’s dream becomes a reality.
In the recent times, with requirements of the better yield of farm animals, AI has emerged as a tool that empowers farmers in monitoring, forecasting, as well as optimizing the farm animal growth. Tackling parasites, biosecurity, and diseases, monitoring farm animal along with farm management are some of the thrust areas in livestock industry where the use of AI technology can pay rich dividends.There is a school of thought that associates AI with a dystopian future, where machines will take over or completely replace humans. However, countering such theories, there are others who believe AI to be a revolutionary technology that has immense potential, if used vigilantly and appropriately.No doubt Artificial intelligence is the future.