Dairy farmers have access to a new risk management tool using artificial intelligence by predicting transition disease within their herds, according to Dairy Data Warehouse’s vet and head of insight, Armin Pearn.
“Predicta GUARDIAN is a preventative tool that offers farmers a competitive advantage. It provides them with a second pair of eyes and helps to squeeze out those incremental gains,” he told a Cheshire farmer focus group. “The model behaves like the brain and operates with the same principles as the stock market, taking data collected from a long period of time. In this instance it uses AI to take the herd’s performance data already in the unit’s software system including milk recordings or milk meter data together with reproduction data from the previous lactation.”
He continued: “Predicta GUARDIAN is just that; it then uses predictive modelling to determine whether a cow is at risk of transition diseases which are often subtle enough to go unnoticed and go on to severely impact on the herd’s sustainability and profitability.”
For example, subclinical or hidden ketosis occurring in up to 30% of transition cows, was amongst the transition diseases which artificial intelligence would be able to prevent, Armin explained.
“These animals may have high ketone levels that can affect their future health and performance, yet they show none of those clear visible symptoms such as the characteristic pear drop smell. However, Predicta GUARDIAN from Dairy Data Warehouse acts as an indicator within the unit’s cost structure and determines at or around dry off which animal is at risk and needs to be treated.” A notification is flagged up on the office PC and can also be sent to the farm vet via WhatsApp, email or SMS.
