Proof of concept: Using wearable data for pasture management
Farmers in New Zealand are increasingly investing in wearable technology, with nearly one million cows now equipped with various devices. The data is typically used for monitoring individual animals to identify heat or health events, but we wanted to investigate what other insights could be generated from the data.
Initially we collaborated with a group of farmers and sector stakeholders to determine the focus of the research, which highlighted a desire to aid grazing management. Specifically, could animal sensor data give an indication of feed availability?
We carried out a controlled grazing experiment, dividing cows wearing five sensors across four herds (see Figure 1). These herds were given different amounts of pasture, from 80% to 120% of their estimated requirements, to see if these differences could be reflected in changes in the sensor data.
The data from the sensors was compared to measures such as pre-grazing pasture mass and post-grazing residual, which showed correlations, particularly with rumination time. Novel ‘cow’ behaviours calculated from animal location data, like how far the cows travelled and how close they were to their herd mates, were also good at explaining pasture mass.
Overall, the study demonstrated the potential of using animal sensors for grazing management, which could save time, reduce costs and alleviate the mental load on farmers. However, it’s still in the early stages and more research is needed to see how useful it is and how it can be applied in different farming situations.
We've shared the initial findings with the companies whose technologies were used in the experiment. The next step would be for commercial companies to invest in further research and development in this area.