Cargill Data Helps Farmers Make Happier Cows That Make More Milk

Cargill, one of the world’s biggest agricultural companies, is tapping big data to help U.S. farmers make their cows more comfortable and more productive, according to Bloomberg.

The company said that it plans to offer its Dairy Enteligen application in the U.S. in the next several months after introducing it in Italy and Spain. The platform lets consultants and farmers analyze reams of information, from cows’ living conditions to diet and milk productivity on smart tablets and computers.

Cargill’s seen an 11.7 percent increase in milk production in Italian farms using the new application, along with lower production costs, Ricardo Daura, global product line director in Cargill’s animal nutrition’s digital insights business, said by phone .

“There are multiple things that affect how many“ gallons of milk a cow produces, Daura said. “If animal welfare“ is optimal then farmers will see higher productivity. Daura said the company is researching the use of sensors and artificial intelligence as it updates the application.

Dairy farmers have long had access to reams of data, but it hasn’t been widely collated, Chantal van der Meijde, the company’s global category manager for dairy technology, said in an interview. The company’s focusing on similar efforts in other segments, including aquaculture, SriRaj Kantamneni, managing director of digital insights in Cargill’s animal nutrition business, said. “What we’re really chasing after as a digital business is a connected system,“ Kantamneni said.