LAUSR

Data pervades the dairy farming industry. However, specific data streams are most often ad-hoc and poorly linked to each other and to decision making processes. It is imperative to develop a system that can collect, integrate, manage, and analyze on- and off-farm data in real-time for practical and relevant actions. Hence, we are developing a real-time, data-integrated, data-driven, continuous decision-making engine: The Dairy Brain by applying Precision Farming, Big Data analytics, and the Internet of Things. This is a trans-disciplinary research and extension project that engages multi-disciplinary scientists, dairy farmers, and industry professionals. We have a four-part strategy: (1) Create a Coordinated Innovation Network (CIN) to shape data service development; (2) Create a prototype Agricultural Data Hub (AgDH) to gather/disseminate multiple data streams relevant to dairy operations; (3) Build the Dairy Brain – a suite of analytical modules that leverages the AgDH to provide insight to the management of dairy operations and serve as an exemplar of an ecosystem of connected services; and (4) Design and execute an innovative Extension program. We will illustrate our Dairy Brain concept with a few practical applications. Tomorrow’s dairy industry will be built on the effective capture and integration of more data streams, not fewer. This is a critical moment to develop the structures that can move the industry towards modernized data exchange. We are confident the Dairy Brain concept could shift the paradigm of how dairy farms operate.