Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2019 Farmers Review Africa September - October 2019 dig | Page 22

FEATURE
Livestock Tracking and
Monitoring Solutions
M
odern, intensive farms make the farmer
totally responsible for all livestock under
his control. Farming practices have
move away from self-sustaining mixed livestock
enterprises with relatively small numbers of
several species, towards large species units.
Animals now are produced intensively, and
maintained under near ideal conditions for growth
and production within current technological limits.
The majority of animals are constrained within a
building or stockyard for most or all of their lives.
As they are prevented from foraging for their own
food, the farmer takes complete responsibility for
all aspects of their husbandry.
Monitoring of feeding, environment, reproduction,
health, growth, marketing, transport and quality
becomes the responsibility of the stock- man.
This responsibility is not only moral; it is also in
the farmer’s commercial interest to satisfy these
20 | September - October 2019
basic needs of his livestock. For a given group
of animals, product quality depends almost
entirely on the skill, experience and subjective
assessments of the producer in monitoring and
controlling the production process. Very little
technological assistance is currently available.
This means that the producer is frequently
unable to monitor and control the variables
which will determine the value: of the product.
Many producers have great expertise, but
there is considerable evidence that customers’
requirements are frequently not met.
For example the beef trade considers animals
with particular conformations and fat levels to be
more desirable than others, but only about 40% of
animals meet this specification (h4eat and Livestock
Commission, 1994). It seems to be highly likely
that this is due, at least in part, to the inability of
the producer accurately to assess and control the
variables that affect conformation and fat levels.
Sensors are being developed which can gather
an increasingly wide range of information.
However with the development of these sensors
it becomes more important to develop systems
which can collect, process and utilise the
information. Raw data, on its own, is of limited
value. The stockman can maximise the efficiency
of a production system only by monitoring all its
critical stages and targets and ensuring that they
are kept close to the optimum.
For example, it may be necessary to assimilate
data on the climate within and without a building,
the breed, number, age, feed level and weight
of animals, their growth rate, activity and health
records and market requirements.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a deep understanding
of your livestock activity? Tracking the location
of livestock within pastures or large areas can