Will artificial intelligence replace or help farmers?

Will artificial intelligence replace or help farmers?

Technological advances are rapidly changing agriculture. While in the past there was much talk about innovative solutions in tractors and combine harvesters, today there is more and more talk about robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture in general. To what extent are robots and IoT actually helping farming today, and what can we expect in the future?

Cameras and algorithms in chicken care

DI has already put its foot in the door of chicken care. A few years ago, the „Poultry sense“ technology was introduced, which can monitor thousands of hens simultaneously – record their movements, detect symptoms of diseases or even behavioural disorders.

„Poultry sense“ consists of a large number of battery-powered wireless sensors that collect information in real time and transmit it to an IoT-controlled analysis platform. Farmers receive easy-to-understand data and can make the necessary decisions, e.g. if birds are sick, temperature changes, etc.

The provision of feed and water to chickens has long been automated. But IoT is making it more efficient. Algorithms calculate the optimum amount of feed, take into account the intensity of egg laying and even weather conditions.

Will cows soon be grazed by drones?

In cattle care, robotics is perhaps the most advanced. Dr Saulius Tušas, Head of the Joseph Tats Dairy Centre at the Institute of Animal Breeding Technologies of the LSMU Veterinary Academy, says that the beginning of robotics in Lithuanian agriculture can be considered to be in 2008, when milking robots were introduced on a farm in the Plungė region. Later, they were supplemented by feeding robots, manure cleaning robots and even feed delivery robots.

„Robots have helped farmers and increased productivity dramatically. For example, cows eat all day long, so they constantly need feed. The installation of a feed-feeding robot has led to an increase in productivity of 2-3 kg of milk per cow per day on some farms," says Dr. S. Tušas, Associate Professor of Agriculture.

In Australia and New Zealand, some farms are already testing drones for cow herding, i.e. using drones to guide herds of cattle to the right places, or even robotic dogs, which also help to guard cattle and monitor their behaviour, according to foreign media reports.

What next?

Doctor Dr. S. Tush says that technology is certainly not standing still and is advancing rapidly.

„Even the same milking robots today can milk each cow a little differently, depending on how it releases milk“, – he continues.

Does this mean that robots and IoT will one day replace farmers? „No, not possible. Technology, robots only help and make work much easier“, – the scientist is convinced and stresses that in the end, all processes must be managed by humans – they are and will remain in the first place in terms of how to evaluate the data generated by the IoT, what to do and how to reprogram the robots.

Sheep shearing – for robots this remains too complex a task. It is not an easy process for humans either, as sheep are constantly moving and the wool layer is not even. Therefore, only semi-automated technologies are still used to shear sheep.

However, there is no doubt that IoT and robots will help farmers in the future not only to work more efficiently, but also to become more animal welfare-oriented.