Cattle farming and feeding technology trends at EuroTier 2024

Sector faces regulatory, economic challenges as it adapts to calls for sustainability.

Feedstuffs Staff

October 23, 2024

6 Min Read
Getty Images/ iStockphoto

Requirements for future-orientated milk production and cattle farming continue to increase. In addition to the difficult global conditions, the challenge of managing a sustainable dairy farm for the future has become the focus.

 

Safeguarding the economy and meeting the political and social demands for new animal welfare standards is a balancing act that can only succeed if all involved in the value chain, including politicians, are aware of their responsibility as well as the long-term commitment. In the context of social aspects, not only the working and living conditions in agriculture, but also political and social concerns, must be taken into account.

 

Resolve conflicting goals

It is difficult to fulfill all requirements at the same time, as this creates conflicting objectives that need to be resolved. Classic conflicts of objectives appear to arise when there is a demand for greater animal welfare in conjunction with a consistent reduction in negative environmental impacts. However, a closer look reveals that there are often also positive effects which, with intelligent measures to reduce emissions, also have positive effects on animal welfare. For example, when freshly deposited manure is picked up immediately by collecting robots, emissions are reduced due to the rapid cleaning. The cleanliness of the walking surfaces also means that hoof health is maintained.

 

Build smart

In the current political and social environment, it is not easy to establish a dairy farm with a barn and farming concepts that fit the future of the market. Professional solutions are urgently needed. Smart building is a path that is becoming increasingly popular, as the interplay of intelligent barn construction concepts in conjunction with innovative technologies, particularly in the areas of automation and digitalization, supports sustainable, animal-friendly farming conditions as well as an optimized environmental impact. In addition, both have the potential to reduce the workload of dairy farmers and their employees and improve working conditions.

 

Take consumer interests seriously

Pasture, grassland utilization and the discussion about mother or cow-based calf rearing are current topics of discussion between consumers and farmers. It is particularly important for farmers to take these issues and aspects seriously in order to generate transparent, comprehensible solutions for these requirements, and, if possible, to incorporate them transparently into daily practice.

 

In addition to dairy cattle farming, intelligent developments are also required in fattening cattle. The traditional fattening of bulls on fully slatted floors does not meet the ethological needs of the animals or the expectations of consumers and politicians. So, here as well, the goal is to design and implement new concepts that are economical but also recognized by consumers and politicians.

 

Challenges for dairy farmers

Sustainability and social demands for greater animal welfare, as well as legal requirements and political discussions, are challenging dairy farmers today - not only on a technical level, but increasingly also in the area of communication and administrative challenges. But how justified is this call for change and transformation in dairy farming? What is the current status, and which topics and challenges need to be focused on more intensively in today's world?

 

In recent years, many aspects of dairy farming have been resolved in terms of improved animal welfare and optimized performance. The need to optimize the negative environmental impact has been recognized and further intensive work must be undertaken in this area. Automation and digitalization have also changed husbandry and production processes. The performance level was significantly affected and the work organization requirements for the dairy farmers and their teams changed.

 

24/7 stands for a permanent presence and availability, and consequently for a permanent presence in the company. However, intelligent technologies combined with consistent, preventative management lead to a significant reduction in workload and a new assessment of the quality of work. Although the general requirement to be available seven days a week and around the clock will remain in place, the likelihood of actually being needed will decrease significantly and the amount of time off during the week will increase considerably.

 

Intelligent digitalization

The process of digitalization will continue for cattle farmers in the coming years has really only just begun. There will be further significant changes in the future. Artificial intelligence is the magic word. The first developments in sensor technology and animal monitoring will be presented at EuroTier 2024.

 

New barn and husbandry concepts

It's been a long time since new barn construction has been stalled like it currently is. The demand for new barn concepts has virtually fallen to zero. Dairy farmers who are willing to build are also waiting to see how the political requirements develop and how they will then have to build accordingly.

 

Composting and free-range barns currently play a rather subordinate role as the classic cubicle barns remain relevant for planning. In terms of economy, ecology, work quality and animal welfare, they still fulfill many of the current requirements. However, with alternative systems such as the composting barn, the ecological conditions and effects must also be taken into account. This is because in these systems alone, the space required per cow increases significantly compared to the classic cubicle barn.

 

New husbandry concepts are being discussed in calf farming. The current requirement to keep calves on the farm for 28 days raises new questions but may also provide an opportunity for better marketing. However, this also requires new management approaches in terms of husbandry and, above all, feeding. Many dairy farmers are doing away with the igloo in order to meet the new challenges. Closed barns with flexible boxes and pen partitions for single, double and group housing offer new opportunities for greater animal welfare, efficiency and acceptance by consumers and politicians.

 

Utilize automation

Farmers have learned to appreciate automation systems that perform these kinds of tasks in recent years, including autonomous milking and feeding, picking up manure, and pushing feed.

 

Automatic feeding will become more of a focus, as it has a great deal of potential. More frequent presentation with fresh feed stimulates higher feed intake. This reduces feed losses, and energy consumption is also lower compared to diesel-powered machines.

Sensor technology and the resulting possibilities offer additional options for herd management that can be used to optimize quality milk production. Particularly in the field of intelligent animal monitoring based on cameras, various, even undesirable, behaviors can be quickly identified. Any problems that arise can be quickly assessed, and, in conjunction with the right conclusions, also resolved.

 

Optimize functional areas

This year, walking surfaces are taking center stage. Maintaining cleanliness is a simple requirement. This requires concepts in which robots collect manure and slurry promptly. In combination with the right walking surfaces, emissions are reduced, hoof health is maintained and working conditions for employees are more pleasant.

 

Summary

The general conditions in milk production and cattle farming are currently challenging. Consistent management and good production technology are needed to meet the increased demands.

Milk and beef have a good reputation and are still very popular with consumers. Intelligent approaches are necessary in order to fulfil the goals of sustainable production. In addition to developing innovative approaches, politicians and retailers must position themselves and guarantee long-term planning security. With creativity and new ideas, obstacles could be overcome on all sides and the markets secured.

About the Author

Feedstuffs Staff

Feedstuffs

Your Feedstuffs Team:

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