Cattle Tracking for Improving Health and Performance

Abstract

There are approximately 100 million head of cattle, 95 million cats, 70 million hogs, 65 million dogs, 9 million horses, and 6 million head of sheep and goats, all of which someone has an interest in knowing their location and health status. This project is undertaken with a commercial company intending to market product which continually monitors movements of animals. Such technology currently exists, costing well over $300 per animal. Beef cattle generating a profit of $150 per year; cost is an issue. The commercial company involved has conducted market research indicating a maximum cost per beef animal at $20 each. For this to be possible, different technology must be available. The goal of this study is to work across departmental lines of Agriculture, Computer Science, and Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, bringing these technologies together. A commercial firm has been located that once developed, would market technology, and “hardware” company has developed technology that may continuously track livestock, capable of being turned on and off as needed. TTU would develop software and programs to monitor livestock for numerous behaviors related to health and productivity status. Programming is being developed on campus, but field testing is being conducted at the Oakley Sustainable Agriculture Centre in Livingston; a site that is 2,000 ac in size, with up to 1200 head of livestock, and includes  numerous challenges to this technology that includes size, distances (6 miles), mountains, trees, highways, and high power electrical transmission lines.