HerdDogg joined the WKU SmartHolstein Lab program to equip scientists with real-time animal biometric data that is critical to understanding dairy cow health and well-being. The lab is a strategic, synergistic partnership between Holstein Association USA and the Western Kentucky University Department of Agriculture and Food Science. Its mission is to lead Holstein and dairy advancements through research, development and outreach in technologies, analytics and genetics.

At the SmartHolstein demonstration and development farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky, scientists are studying novel phenotypic traits using the latest technologies such as wearable technologies, computer vision powered by artificial intelligence and milk-based biomarkers. The team is examining the practical use of data for on-farm decision-making, with additional analytics performed by AgriTech Analytics.

The project’s long-term goal is to develop a 100% A2, polled herd of cows in the top 20% of the breed for Total Performance Index (TPI) with additional emphasis on health, reproduction and fitness traits. As a data collection partner for SmartHolstein, HerdDogg is supplying its latest biometrics platform and Bluetooth tags for the 55 animals that comprise the nuclear herd. By analyzing this data for each animal, the team aims to better understand the relationship between animal well-being on each animal’s estrous cycle, especially estrus.

[read this story and other top dairy news over on Progressive Dairy]