Farmers have been, and will continue, to adopt agtech innovation and inventions. Despite calls that primary producers are halting the agtech adoption curve, some experts are saying that it’s not the producer but rather, the sales pitch which could be the problem.
Remote water trough monitoring, advanced genetic breeding, automatic feeders, more accurate supplementation; these are just some of the latest, most innovative technologies out there for livestock producers.
At the end of day, farmers need to be accountable to consumers and trace the story behind their product. This is becoming increasingly important. But, for a lot of tech out there, there is poor value proposition.
The rise of genetic technologies and breeding was touted as the technology which livestock producers will see and hear more about in the future. The cost is coming down considerably and the results are impressive.
Actually measuring true genetic expression of the animal and the association between known production traits so that we can select the best of the best is transforming our industry.
At the moment, if a farmer goes out in the paddock, they might think they know the best sire and make their selection. Imagine if you could know the underlying traits. The best might not be the prettiest or shiniest. Through genomics you will know the animals genetic details and have an insight into what’s happening under the hide.
But the technologies which come to market need to both collect data, and analyse it for the producer so that management decisions can be made.
You cannot manage what you don’t know and what you aren’t measuring. It’s as simple as that.
It's true the technology for livestock still has a way to go. There are a lot more challenges including the fact that we are dealing with animals. The tech is exposed, affected by climate and often meets animals on four legs.
Irrespective of what and how we are measuring – the ease with how the technology is used is highly critical. You need to make sure that data is integrated, mainly to increase the ease of record keeping and merging multiple pieces of data to calculate performance metrics.
Producers are also after better support to interpret the info that they are gathering. Whether that’s external support with the supplier or an aligned independent consultant.
Once startups can identify the clear return on investment, and help the producers use the technology efficiently and effectively, it’s then up to the producers to take the reins.
After all, technology is only as good as the management decision you make.