Beef producers face countless obstacles in raising high-quality, nutritious products. Deficiencies, avoidances and half-hearted energies directed toward any management area will result in mediocre performance, reduced profitability at a minimum and financial disaster in the worst cases.

Just as the steam engine and mechanization revolutionized agriculture during the first and second industrial revolutions, today's digital technologies are ushering in what some call the third industrial revolution.

The term, “precision agriculture” is oftentimes associated with row crop farming, but what if gathering critical data to inform decision-making could be applied to your cow-calf operation or feedlot?

The usage of technology has also been utilized in the beef industry, such as with RFID tags, genomic testing and robotics. The newest technology to enter the ring is artificial intelligence (AI), which is continuing to develop for the use of facial recognition in cattle, which is being implemented, and which can contribute to a national disease animal traceability program with a developing app called CattleTracs.

The more we understand automation, the better equipped we are to make it work for us. Let's explore the top five reasons for automating the milking routine on a dairy.

Going mobile provides rapid cowside entry and quick access to your herd’s data. It allows you to make decisions instantly – instead of later when entering the data into your herd management software.

Herd management programs and data collection solutions are being advanced by various sectors of the beef industry today. And, while more of a good thing might be better than less, it can also lead to confusion and uncertainty when attempting to navigate its extreme boundaries.

On Jan. 18, USDA-APHIS announced a proposed rule to amend animal disease traceability regulations. The public comment period regarding the proposal is open through March 22, 2023. If the proposal becomes law, official USDA tags would be defined as those that are both visually and electronically readable.  

Ranchers have used eartags for several decades. Tags packed with innovative technology may provide locations of cattle or notify operators when animals are reaching estrus or becoming ill.