The power of data sharing

DAVID BELL, SENIOR CONSULTANT, LIVESTOCK | SAC CONSULTING

We now live in an era where data-driven decisions are dominating the livestock industry. Previously decisions would have been based on a ‘gut feeling’, all backed up by years of traditional stockmanship and intuition. However, in today’s world and in the face of several significant challenges, not least a skilled labour shortage, farmers are using data to optimise their farm management and maximise the opportunity for profit.

Livestock agriculture is no longer solely about the management of stock. It now also involves the management of data. The workforce of today now need to be equipped with the skills in interrogating data and interpreting it alongside what is seen on the ground. An example of this is with some oestrus detection technology where the data from the various algorithms may indicate that an animal is in oestrus when in fact the animal has increased activity from the previous days due to being allowed out to graze after winter housing.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the availability of innovative technologies, all aspiring to be the next revolutionary thing in the livestock industry, and all designed to address the on-farm challenges, including health and fertility. This leaves us at a pivotal moment in time, where both technological advancements and a culture shift of data sharing amongst farmers is essential for the success of the industry.

However, we need to be careful when creating the latest ‘technological tools’, and the emphasis needs to be on the end user. There is no question that all of us now have the capability to produce an enormous amount of data, but for farmers this data needs to be easily interpreted and produce information quickly.

Despite a relatively widespread adoption and keenness to adopt technology in agriculture, there still appears to be a hesitation to share information beyond individual farms. Perhaps this is because of worries around financial repercussions, including fears of processors and retailers adjusting payments based on the production costs.

However, all of this hinders the sharing of crucial information that could and will benefit the industry as a whole.

For example, a store cattle producer wants to sell some stock but is concerned about the potential scrutiny that comes with making treatment records available.

This could be causing concern over what price the livestock will sell for, if it sells at all, as well as the reputational damage. Yet the flip side of this is the opportunities it presents for people making informed decisions, as well as the potential efficiency savings down the supply chain.

To put this into a more familiar context, data sharing can be compared to the purchase of a second-hand car. It’s unlikely that anyone would buy a car without first knowing its service history, yet in such a vital industry such as livestock industry we seem prepared to take the risk?

We have an opportunity for data sharing to happen as a matter of routine through integration with everyday technology. Looking ahead, one such opportunity lies with the potential compulsory introduction of electronic identification (EID) of cattle. This could not only contain traceability information but also the complete history of the cattle that would transfer with the animal. Furthermore, it would provide opportunities for the cattle industry to showcase its reduction in antibiotic usage through background collation.

However, here also lies another issue for the industry –trust. There needs to be a level in trust in the information that is being received from one producer to another. The level of trust will only increase if producers can truly believe that the information received is valid and reliable.

Some of this may seem like a very idealistic concept developed in an ivory tower of perfection but the future success of the industry relies on the breakdown of these barriers and focus on how farmers can work together in the interests of the livestock sector rather than as individual businesses.

The call to action is clear; embrace data sharing as a catalyst for collective growth, in an effective and sustainable way.