Agtech is changing the landscape of the feedlot industry. Agtech is a relatively untapped venture in the feedlot industry. Not many well known technologies exist. But over the past few years, more and more new technologies are entering the sector, improving efficiencies and aiding feedlot operators with their day-to-day activities.
Agtech is simply using software and hardware technologies for agricultural purposes. It is most prevalent in crop farming operations. For example, drone technology is widely used by some of the biggest brand names in the food industry. McCain Foods uses drones to fly over its potato fields and monitor for disease. Similarly, Del Monte uses drones to monitor the yields of its pineapple farms.
In the feedlot sector, agtech solutions are only just starting to sprout. They are helping to automate and streamline many of the difficult activities needed to grow healthy and profitable cattle.
Micro Technologies has a full stack of cattle feeding technologies for far more efficient feed bunk management. Using a computer, feedlot operators can select the exact feed and nutrient mix they need and the system will weigh and mix the ingredients into the feed truck. Every feed truck is then enabled with a GPS system and onboard computer. The computer tells the drivers exactly where to go with the current load of feed. As they drive along the bunk, the system shows the driver how much feed has been dispensed in reference to their distance along the pen for a more even distribution.
Manabotix has built BunkBot, an autonomous robot to scan feed bunks and get a precise measurement of how much feed has been consumed. Traditional feed bunk management involves feedlot staff observing feed bunks and giving them a score of 0-4 based on the level of feed remaining. These are all rough estimates that give a pretty good idea on whether the cattle are receiving enough feed during the day. This method comes with a lack of precision, and with a large scale feedlot, can take forever to navigate the endless miles of feed bunks. BunkBot autonomously navigates each feed bunk and scans the levels of feed for quicker, more accurate reading.
Performance Beef, part of the company Zoetis, is a software platform to track every important piece of information on a feedlot. It automatically tracks every pound of feed loaded into trucks, keeps track of feed inventory, and generates real-time closeout reports. It also lets feedlot operators record cattle information, like weight and treatments. They can assess animal health and compare it with other animals.
HerdWhistle is an agtech product itself. It uses RFID technology to monitor feeding behaviours of cattle 24/7. Data on feeding behaviours is then used to predict when an animal may be sick so it can receive more effective and less costly treatments.
