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Accelerating Precision Livestock Farming
The Animal AgTech Innovation Summit on March 8 will explore new strategies to advance digital on-farm solutions and deliver a greater return on investment for precision livestock farming.
Delving into the latest technologies, learnings from adjacent industries and new, innovative business models that support farmer adoption, discussions at the summit will be led by Boehringer Ingelheim, Cattle Eye, Ceres Tag, HydroGreen (a division of CubicFarm Systems), itk, Opengate Partners and The Maschhoffs.
Here is what our animal agtech experts had to say:
What strategies are going to be crucial for precision livestock farming in the next decade?
Terry Canning, CEO, CATTLE EYE
In the context of the rise in consumer demand for alternative proteins and claims from the vegan movement that livestock in our supply chains are not being well cared for, we as an industry need to focus on measuring and improving animal welfare standards. Over the next decade we need to connect high animal welfare standards on the farm to consumers, so they feel happy whenever they purchase our products.
Lewis Frost, COO, CERES TAG
Accessibility will be crucial to the success of precision livestock farming and agtech adoption in general across the next decade. We are finally starting to see some high-quality technology specifically designed for livestock applications coming into the sector that isn’t simply re-purposed from other areas. We need to continue to lower and remove the barriers to entry and adoption for individual producers. How will any individual technology succeed in its mission if it is not adopted and given the chance to perform on farm?
Mareese Keane, Co-Founder, OPENGATE PARTNERS
Start-ups have built technologies proven to enhance the animal welfare experience and better economics for farm operations. They need to be supported by a broad ecosystem of partners within the industry so their path to scale and widespread adoption is as rapid as possible.
Bennet Holmes, Director, ITK
Being able to precisely measure the impact from the creation of animal feed all the way through to the final output throughout the entire food supply chain.
What learnings might animal ag take from adjacent industries in the tech and digital spaces?
Terry Canning, CEO, CATTLE EYE
The use of artificial intelligence in traditional industries has had profound consequences for a number of companies in adjacent industries e.g retailers. The collision of AI with Farm Input provision has yet to be experienced but those genetics, nutrition and health companies that embrace the network and learning effects of AI have the potential to emerge as winners.
Lewis Frost, COO, CERES TAG
I personally believe that business model innovation is lagging in the animal agtech sector. Many companies are taking the same approach to bring their technology to market and provide an end-to-end solution. I am excited and encouraged by the innovation we are just now starting to see in this space, and I believe much of it is being spurred on by some of the disruptive business models coming from the consumer services and entertainment space.
What innovation are you seeing for on-farm transformation that is exciting and/or tangible?
Bennet Holmes, Director, ITK
“We need to accurately measure the amount of carbon the soil can absorb according to farming practices. This can open the path to new revenue streams for farmers.”
Lewis Frost, COO, CERES TAG
I wish I could say connectivity, but this is still a massive issue in so many food producing regions around the world. Satellite services are however extremely promising and as we see the number of new entrant’s skyrocket, I think it will become the leading platform for the sector in coming years.
Mareese Keane, Co-Founder, OPENGATE PARTNERS
It is exciting to see technologies and products that were created to serve other markets now create compelling value in animal agtech. For example, mobile device integration which brings together processor, communications, GPS, and other sensors, was driven by the cell phone industry. This platform is bringing incredible value to animal agtech through enhanced animal welfare experience and better economics for farm operations.