Are we witnessing the beginning of the next bST battle?
Plus, satellites show dairy methane emissions peak in winter
Concerns about the methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer went viral recently in the U.K. While consumer concerns are not based in actual research data or fact, the recent incident highlights that consumers are still ultrasensitive to anything – I’ll use the word “engineered” – that’s used in food production.
Bovaer is approved in dozens of countries but is still in very early test stages, such as the innovation phase it was in with grocery store chain Arla. It had a few farms supplying its milk trying it. Bovaer is not the only non-seaweed feed additive vying for share in this space. This latest incidence seems to give pause to ask: Will Bovaer even ever get off the ground? And if it can’t, will all others be doomed too?
This is another must-read article on the state of public discussion about enteric methane emissions from cows. Farmers will be frustrated that the public cares about enteric methane emissions but won’t give social license to use some of the tools available to address them.
Read more here.
Jones-Hamilton Company (Sponsor)
Manufactured in the USA by Jones-Hamilton, ParlorPal® is an affordable way to control ammonia and lower pH in calf hutches, bedding and footbaths.
Learn more here.
Satellites show dairy methane emissions peak in winter
A Canadian researcher’s work used U.S. and European space agency satellite data analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI) to track enteric emissions on 500-plus dairy farms across Canada. His work showed that emissions peak in the winter.
Read more here.
CowManager officially introduces Youngstock Monitor
Eartag activity monitoring company CowManager recently launched a new system that provides real-time alerts for early disease detection and notifies producers when a calf may be falling behind its herdmates.
The system uses a new lightweight ear sensor that will service an animal for its entire lifetime, from calf to cow.
Powered by artificial intelligence with ever-evolving algorithms, the company claims the system adapts to each operation and the behavioral development of each calf, allowing producers to make farm-specific predictions on the health of their individual calves and focus treatment in a targeted way.
The calf health alerts come in three levels: suspicious, sick and very sick, and detect subtle behavioral changes associated with illness often missed through visual observation. These alerts can help facilitate quicker interventions, lower treatment intensity, reduce reliance on antibiotics and decrease mortality rates.
Read more here.
GEA launches automated body condition scoring
One year after acquiring CattleEye, GEA recently announced the autonomous system provides dairy farms a monitoring tool for both lameness detection AND now body condition of dairy cows.
The system works using a 2D camera, typically positioned near a sort gate or milking system with an ID function, to capture and record each cow as it exits the milking parlor. The AI-powered computer vision evaluates locomotion and body condition, providing insights to enhance herd health and productivity. Irregularities in physical condition or movement, such as signs of lameness, are automatically detected. The data is accessible anytime via a dedicated app for smartphones, tablets or desktop PCs.
Read more here.
New age quarter milker for developing countries
Check out this small-scale, solar-powered machine that pumps water from the ground, lights a household and can milk the family’s cow.
Read more here.
Startups, apply to be featured at Precision Dairy Conference
If you represent a dairy tech startup with sales prospects in the U.S. market and have not presented about your technology at the Precision Dairy Conference previously, reach out to Marcia Endres (miendres@umn.edu) and indicate your interest in participating at the startup spotlight session this summer.
I’ll be moderating this session at the conference held June 17-18, 2025. Several companies are confirmed, but we are selecting more to participate.
GPS eartag company for beef cattle wins award
Solar-powered GPS eartag company SmartPaddock recently won the Rising Star tech award at Agribition in Canada. The company says they see GPS eartags being first adopted in beef bulls on range.
Read more about the award at the show and about the company here.
Dairy profit projections from ZISK
Projected profitability for the next 12 months for two dairy herd sizes INCREASED in recent profit projections from ZISK.
ZISK is a profit projection smartphone app that tracks individual dairy farm profitability based on current CME board prices. Projections for a 1,000-cow dairy producing an average of 80 pounds of milk per cow and a 2,500-cow dairy producing an average of 85 pounds of milk per cow are provided.
12-month dairy farm profit projections (as of Dec. 6, 2024):
1,000-cow dairy = $817,900 (UP about $34,600 since the middle of November)
2,500-cow dairy = $2.810 million (UP about $92,000 since the middle of November)