ing components record the animals’ weight as they feed. Additionally, feed density needs to be measured weekly and this information will be used to convert feed volumes to feed weights. Finally, all the data can be analysed for making real-time management decisions.
Keys to success Successful development and adoption of smart livestock feed- ing systems depends on several factors. First, there is a critical need for cooperation and the involvement of experts and stakeholders in the development and implementation of smart livestock feeding (i.e., researchers, engineers, technology sup- pliers, economists, farmers, and consumers). Moreover, with the rapid advancement in sensor development, more focus needs to be on data interpretation and control mechanisms. Additionally, appropriate deployment of smart livestock feed- ing systems and training, service and support for farmers should be accessible to facilitate farmer acceptance and the adoption of smart livestock feeding systems. Furthermore, ed- ucation for consumers should be available to help them appre- ciate controlled and sustainable animal-centric livestock pro- duction. Training success depends on the complexity of the system installed on the farm and the training of the end user.
Future perspectives Advancement in smart livestock feeding requires the devel- opment of new nutritional concepts and mathematical mod- els to estimate individual animal nutrient requirements in real time. Moreover, it is necessary to improve our understanding of individual animal metabolic processes. In addition, the de- velopment of integrated user-friendly systems and end-user training is imperative. Further developments will also include new knowledge concerning the genetic capability of animals to efficiently use nutrients and integrate them in the daily es- timation of individual animals’ optimal nutrient requirements, the interaction between feeding patterns, diet composition, and the digestive and metabolic dynamic availability of die- tary nutrients. Further research is required to address these issues. As a result, smart livestock feeding can and will be- come an key component in production optimisation on the farm, influencing the decision-making of both farmers and advisors as well as the optimisation and transparancy of the full production chain.
Samaneh Azarpajouh is an independent researcher and Hossein Taheri works at the Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Georgia Southern University.
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 9, 2021
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