In the last few years, buzzwords like “precision livestock management” have been thrown around quite a bit. Although the official name of “precision livestock farming” debuted at a European conference in 2003, the use of technology in beef production systems isn’t a new thing.
Artificial insemination began in the 1950s, use of growth implants became commercially available in 1957 and use of EPDs in bulls started in the 1970s. These three technologies adopted in commercial cow-calf systems would be considered precision livestock management tools. However, technology-based systems sometimes get a similar treatment to what barbed wire received in the 1800s, when it was fondly called devil’s wire.
Innovative technologies will continue to drive improvements in production efficiency and sustainability in beef production systems. Digital technologies are already transforming agriculture, also known as digital agriculture, and they particularly focus on precision cropping/farming. The adoption of technology in beef production systems has been slower to evolve, but opportunities are quickly becoming available to increase production efficiency.
In the last 30 years, the genetic potential of the cow herd and production costs have steadily increased; however, production outputs (pregnancy rates and weaning weights) have been stagnant or declined. At the same time, the cost of production continues to rise. Precision livestock management tools have the potential to address these long-term production and cost trends while potentially decreasing the cost of production, increasing output traits and assisting in labor issues.
In the last few years, we have seen an increase in precision technology systems being designed and developed specifically with cow-calf producers in mind. There are pros and cons with these innovative technologies. First adopters to many new technologies take on a big risk. Since so many of these technologies are in a stage ranging from infancy to fully developed, new technologies carry a bigger risk of failure and challenges, and better technologies may come out after the initial investment.
With newer technologies, the cost to establish or maintain these systems can be substantial due to limited competitive markets. Understanding the current market, specific technologies or companies, and the risk of investment is important in gauging what technology is right for your needs.
Computerized technologies constitute a substantial portion of today’s digital agriculture, regardless of the fact that each computerized system may represent its own challenges. Broadband or connectivity issues in rural communities can limit the adoption, use or overall accessibility of the tool. Affordably and effectively integrating and aggregating data from multiple sources to a usable interface or package can also be a challenge. In these cases, not all technologies are a good investment, particularly for the short term.
When considering investing in a new technology, some guidelines to think through would be: (1) the production goal or gap that this technology addresses on your ranch or farm, (2) the expected return on investment, (3) an understanding of the early adopters’ risk versus reward, (4) the ability of the specific technology to be remotely or otherwise upgraded as technology capabilities/innovations grow and (5) whether the specific tool was developed or validated with grazing beef cows in a similar environment to your ranch in mind.
At the end of the day, technology will not replace the human component and the ability to manage cattle properly at the ranch. Technology can provide the ability to go from reactive to proactive management, may assist in labor issues, may improve animal health and well-being and may increase overall resource (land, feedstuff or people) efficiency. Technology can be a great thing, but it isn’t a silver bullet.
To help the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) better serve your needs, complete a quick survey to get your perceptions on using precision livestock management tools for cow-calf operations. The survey is completely anonymous and is expected to take less than eight minutes to complete. Visit go.unl.edu/pl_cowcalf to access the survey. — UNL Extension
