Innovative Technology & Practices Transforming India’s Dairy Farming Sector
Annu Yadav, Tarun Kumar, Neelesh Sindhu and Ankit Kumar
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana, 125004
India is the world’s top milk producer and holds the top spot, producing 24% of the world’s milk production in 2021–2022. Between the years 2014–15 and 2021–22, India’s milk production climbed by 51%, reaching 221.06 million tonnes. In comparison to 2020–21, milk output has increased by 5.29%. Rajasthan (15.05%), Uttar Pradesh (14.93%), Madhya Pradesh (8.6%), Gujarat (7.56%), and Andhra Pradesh (6.97%) are the top 5 milk-producing states. They are responsible for 53.11% of the nation’s total milk production. Dairy exports had a 19.45% increase, going from $395 million in April-December 2022 to $471 million as of the end of FY 2022-23. Superior germplasm, better nutrition strategies, health care facilities and improved dairy husbandry practices are the reason behind this advancement.
Technology and mathematical advancements have made it possible to quantify complex biological systems in ways that were previously impossible. With improved statistical and data processing technology, sensors nowadays are more precise. At a dairy farm, this has quickly improved husbandry procedures. Dairy animal welfare will be improved by deploying advanced applied engineering device-based husbandry support systems, which will also help the farm’s profitability to the fullest extent. Numerous prospective devices that could automatically collect data like biomarker, behavioral, and physiological indicators are available. The data set so acquired may assist the farm management in making decisions regarding the use of corrective husbandry practices in order to identify welfare complications for a specific animal at an early stage. Precision livestock farming is a modern agricultural concept that has its roots in the new era of communication that has resulted from these advances in engineering.
Commercially available technologies for dairy cows
- Robotic machine milking:
High-quality milk with improved performance is always in demand. Robotic milking systems (such as DeLaval AMR™) automatic milking rotary and (DeLaval VMS™) voluntary milking system significantly reduce the amount of labour needed to milk a herd, freeing up the farmer and their staff to concentrate on other critical aspects of their dairy operation such as feeding, breeding, health and hygiene. DeLaval was the world’s first to launch an automatic milking rotary. However, robotic milking system requires an adaptation period of few months for dairy animals to get accustomed with this system Automatic or robotic milking system utilizes data set for separate quarters of udder hence minimizing the chances of intra-mammary infection (IMI). Herd managers are advised to take regular teat disinfection into account when deploying a robotic milking system.
- In line milk composition
Some milk companies (such as Afimilk Ltd. (www.afimilk.com)) uses infrared technology to calculate the composition of milk in-line using a somatic cell count (SCC) counter. The use of particular wavelength photons is observed in infrared technologies. The constituent milk particles reflect and absorb certain wavelengths, and this information is used to quantify the compositional quality of the milk.
Some another devices such as DeLaval counter system (www.Delaval.com) utilizes the technology of cell components analysis by UV-fluorescence method. This analytical tool has a platform built inside the counter where a disc can be put to count SCCs. One minute after inserting the disc with a millilitre of a composite milk sample, the gadget provides information regarding the SCC in the milk sample. It also indicates if the milk is from a cow or a buffalo.
- Automatic watering
For animals, water is regarded as the most crucial nutrient. A dairy animal requires 2.5-140 L/day under free movement condition. Developed automatic systems for analysis of animal behavior and welfare are used with image analysis and machine-learned segmentation technique. Though indirectly, a significant change in water intake may indicate towards the potential physiological changes in dairy animals such as heat stress, oestrus stages, or any other health related aspects. Animals follow a specific hierarchical pattern wherein a dominant one has the opportunity of accessing major facilities in the farm premises and thereby creating a chance of depressing less dominant cow yet a high productive. Automatic waterers have specific sensors which may observe the behavioral activities such as number of times an animal visits the water troughs for how much time with different ways of interactions. Thereby, automatic waterers offer a scope of understanding behavioral patterns of different ranked animals during their interaction with water troughs. Thus, constructional modifications may be done for more effective grouping of animals. Moreover, measuring water intake has been suggested as one of the primary indicator for cows having metabolic disorders.
- Reticulo-rumen bolus
SmaXtec sensor (www.smxtec.net), Well Cow (www.wellcow.co.uk), eCow Devon (www.ecow. co.uk) are some major brand names which manufacture reticulo-rumen bolus. These devices use radiofrequency, thermistor, electrode, short message service (sms) and 3-axial accelerometers for measurement of activity, temperature, and drinking and oestrus behavior of dairy animals. Flow rate of different feed and fluid across reticulo-rumen, pH, and temperature data are continuously collected through this device and if sudden change occurs than normal values, a SMS is received by the concerned person on or off the farm. Furthermore, this device measures lying and standing behaviour of animals through the help of 3-axial accelerometers. Lying rumination represents comfortable conditions whereas more standing time reflects discomfort. Similarly, a comfortable cow shows slow feeding and drinking bouts than that of a cow with different degrees of discomfort. Discomfort postures of the dairy animals reflect the improper management conditions inside the farm premises. Housing conditions such as bedding material, ventilation rate, temperature humidity index (THI), feeding management facilities, may be enhanced properly in accordance with the data based expertise and experience.
- Digital body condition scoring – BCS condition app (of Bayer animal health)
Body condition score (BCS) is an effective, easy and non-invasive method for accessing energy status of dairy animals. BCS is helpful to estimate overall health and nutritional management of farm animals. Earlier, body condition scoring was done manually. However, now, it can be assessed with software and 3-D imaging system. This method utilizes the technique of digital 3-D image using active shape method and convex hull method in which pre-standardized images are present and comparison is made with respect to the captured image of target animal and then estimation of BCS is done.
- Metabolites of milk
Metabolites estimation in the milk is a non-invasive technique to predict the metabolic and energy balance changes in dairy animals so that the corrective measures can be adopted at an early stage. Several metabolites have been identified in blood mainly non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (bHBA) which depicts the energy balance and other ailments in dairy animals in different stages of production. Liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance technique was utilized to quantify a list of 55 milk metabolites which were either positively or negatively associated with negative energy balance in dairy cows.
- Vaginal thermometer
In various ways, an animal’s body temperature is linked to a wide range of physiological processes. Due to internal and external factors that can cause variations in body temperature, high producing dairy cows are more prone to physiological alterations. Calving alert (Vel’Phone, Medria, Châteaubourg, France) is a kind of vaginal thermometer that may be placed inside the vagina of female dairy animals through which parturition status can be assessed 48 hr before onset of calving process. This type of device sends data signals to the monitor based system where data are stored, processed and predictions are done. This would help in minimizing the unwanted losses through implementing advanced precautionary steps.
- Pedometer
CowAlert (www.Icerobotics.com) is a kind of pedometer usually put in the left leg for ease in handling. It also utilizes 3-axial accelerometers for measuring activity, oestrous, health of farm animals. A gravitational tilt from either axial position of the cow is measured in form of data. Generally cows are seen with high activity of discomfort during oestrus. Whenever these changes happen, a prediction may be done in advance for the stage of estrus in dairy animals. Discomfort activities such as increased standing time, reduced rumination, decreased milk yield, more leg activities, etc., are seen when cows are in oestrus. This pedometer helps in measuring these activities with high precision.
- Infrared-thermography
Infrared-thermography is non-invasive technology for early diagnosis of potential physiological changes such as mastitis, oestrus and lameness without contacting target animal. Wherein, different colour lights observed from surface temperature of target animals have different and specified temperature range. These light wavelengths are invisible to humans and they fall in the range of 2-14 μm wavelengths. A high corroboration among SCC and udder skin surface temperature was investigated in dairy animals. A temperature rise of 1ºC than that of normal udder skin of cow was considered as a cut-off value for the predictor of mastitis cases in dairy animals.
- Vocal cues based oestrus detection
Data generation based on vocal cues used to estimate the different conditions of animals such as pain, estrus, weaning response, hunger, age determination, hierarchy of animals. However, the practical intricacy of the ambient noise may make it difficult for these acoustic sensors to function correctly. But newer software and sensors in audio recording devices might have excellent sensitivity and specificity.
- Tail-head RFID chip
Heat Wath II, Cow Chips (www.cowchips.net) employs a RFID chip for detection of standing oestrus of dairy animals when some other animal mounts over it. Pressure sensitivity of this device is considerable to be used for standing heat detection of a cow. This RFID chip is placed over the tail-head region of animals and the information is sent automatically to the system. However, it may give no information about the animal which mounted, and a chance to understand about the mounting animal may be missed. The mounting animal might be in pro-oestrus phase. Information about that may help in making required provisions for prophase animals also. Another device i.e. Celotor (www.celotor.com) utilizes two gadgets. One device for attaching on tail-head part of female dairy animal and other one over teaser bull for detecting oestrus condition in dairy females for proper timely artificial insemination. Presence of a teaser bull becomes necessary in this case. In this case also, the understanding of homosexual behaviors of the cows’ may not be such effective. Efficiency of the teaser bull also affects the working of this management system. Hence proper sex ratio in the herds needs to be taken care.
- Lameness detection
Lameness is still a major issue at many dairy farms and has a wide range of implications on both production and health metrics. For dairy cows, early detection of lameness and remedial action are therefore required. Examples of gadgets that monitor how dairy animals’ feet interact with a sensor-based path while they are walking along it include Gaitwise and Step Metrix. The working theory behind Step Metrix is comparable. The sensors built into this apparatus detect the contact between cows’ hooves and the apparatus. For instance, it can forecast cow health if there is a divergence in the way the hooves connect with the surface. Dairy cows’ positions and postures have recently been imaged using 3D vision cameras, and based on those images. Standardised data are entered into the system and, if needed, they are compared to the standard set of data and biological models, which leads to an evaluation of the current animal condition’s hoof health.
- Cow Manager
These days, ear tags come equipped with a number of versatile technologies. These ear tag gadgets use 3-axial accelerometer technology to not only locate target animals but also measure movement, feeding, and health of farm animals. For the identification and retention of ear tags in dairy cows, they proposed that a combination of visual tags and RFID chips would be more useful. Additionally, they warned of the possibility of serious ear necrosis in cases where animals’ ear tags are fitted incorrectly.
Conclusion
The conclusion drawn from the current study is that improvements in agricultural technology, along with improved information, communication, and the internet of things, have ushered in a new era of data-based communication. Targeted animals are given a unique identity and virtual “personality” thanks to this data-based communication, which may be used whenever, anywhere, by anyone and anything. These could serve as a trustworthy source of knowledge for the upkeep of animal welfare. Animals who have such technological devices attached to their bodies must take a long time to adapt. Although a sudden change in the form of using an engineering device may first disturb the animals, it is anticipated that they will eventually simplify farm operations. However, a skilled manager and a knowledgeable statistician are always needed for the dairy farm in order to understand the data and make decisions that will improve animal management procedures based on the results.
