It was the impromptu, overarching theme of the 2023 Precision Dairy Conference, hosted in June 2023 by the University of Minnesota.
In a nutshell, consensus was that the best and most effective technologies in dairy production today are not necessarily the ones with the most bells and whistles. Rather, they’re the ones that simply “let cows be cows,” without a lot of human intervention – but do enhance humans’ ability to manage them and attend to their needs.
That same sentiment was echoed by dairy technology guru Dr. Jeff Bewley on a recent episode of The Dairy Podcast show. Bewley, who is a Dairy Analytics and Animation Scientist for Holstein Association USA, has evaluated more than 50 dairy technologies in his career.
Next on Bewley’s list of valuable technologies is wearable activity monitors that measure rumination and heat activity. “Those technologies are now widely adopted in the industry, with many producers noting how well they help them identify and assist sick cows,” Bewley shared.
He suggested that the adoption of any new technology should start by identifying the farm’s needs. What problems could be solved, or bottleneck addressed with technology? “Think from the farm’s needs backward, rather than picking a technology and projecting it onto the farm,” Bewley suggested.
The researcher also warned that some systems are really “cool,” but might not add a lot of value to the business. And newly emerging technologies that are not fully vetted might not have all the bugs worked out yet. In such cases, the “leading edge” can become the “bleeding edge.”
As new technologies emerge, Bewley advised that the most fundamental element of dairying is that “the cow is the center of everything we do. The most successful producers and advisers are those who understand the cow, her needs, her behavior, and her biology.”