David Simmons was the first dairy farmer in Newfoundland to install a robotic milking parlor for this cattle. He “is just one of many who are turning to cutting edge technology” to monitor livestock health, says the Toronto Globe and Mail. Each of his 100 dairy cows wears a black collar with a small, red tracking device that monitors the cow’s movements and a transponder that identifies the cow for feed rations. The technology has been available for years, says the newspaper, “But recent breakthroughs in “wearable” technology – and the development of popular mass-market products like FitBits that track people’s activity and diet – mean the devices are now more reliable and affordable.”
The technology addresses two persistent problems in agriculture: the challenge of rising production costs and farm labor – it’s difficult to find skilled labor as the average age of farmers is rising. “The new technology allows farmers to get by with fewer workers, and help make up for less experience by delivering accurate data directly from the fields, or from the animals themselves,” says the Globe and Mail.