Dairy farmers’ views sought for nationwide technology research

PhD student Joanne Sharpe is looking into the impact of these technologies, which include digital tools and sensors -including wearable devices that monitor cows 24/7.

While such technologies are now widely available, there’s still a lack of information on how many dairy farms use such precision livestock farming technologies - and to what extent information from these technologies is being used regularly and reliably to support on-farm decision-making.

In a bid to try and develop a picture of how these technologies are working, Jo is carrying out a nationwide survey as part of her PhD. This will look at the use of these dairy sensor technologies to help improve cow welfare.

She said: “The first step is to find out how widespread technology use is on dairy farms today, and then we want to better understand what difference these tools and sensors have made to the work on the farm, for the people who use them, and for the cows themselves.”

Once she has these results, Jo hopes to use them to identify ways to help ensure dairy farmers can get the most out of the technologies they choose, both now and in the future.

The work will also generate recommendations for manufacturers, farm advisors and industry groups, so they can better support farmers in optimising digital technology for decision-making and good cow management.

Jo added: “For this work, every voice matters – and so I would love to hear from anyone working on a dairy farm.

“That includes farmers who do use these technologies already and also those who don’t, as that will help to build up a clearer picture of what’s happening across the UK.”

The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete and can be found at harper.ac.uk/dairyprecisionphd