MADISON, Wis. — As society advances, so does technology.
The World Dairy Expo is showcasing how farmers are working alongside technology every day to make their jobs easier.
Laurie Winkelman is a dairy nutritionist and her family owns a farm with 65 cattle in Watertown, Wisconsin.
“We milk 65 cows, a mixture of Brown Swiss and Holsteins, here at World Dairy Expo we have two of our own and then we have two animals that are tied in with us as a team working together,” said Winkelman.
Winkelman said as a dairy nutritionist she works with farms that have hundreds of cows and smaller farms with dozens of cows.
She said all farms are working with technology in various ways.
“It has helped us manage their markers of health and success, whether it is monitoring milk production, we have groomination monitors, activity monitors, there's things that tell us how much water they drink,” said Winkelman.
One of the companies Winkelman works with and was showcasing at the World Dairy Expo is Merck Animal Health.
Glaucio Lopes works in dairy monitoring and he said the device his company created tracks everything a cow does throughout the day.
“When this technology came in, it allowed the cows to tell you exactly what is happening because we are tracking their behavior,” said Lopes.
Lopes said normally, farmers like Winkelman would have to spend their days monitoring their cows but with this technology he said it frees up time for the farmer.
“We are not a diagnostic, but based on the animals behavior, if the animal is having an off day the system can track that behavior and create a list of animals to be checked,” said Lopes.
While technology is playing its part in making farmers' lives easier, Winkelman said there are many issues being faced by farmers every day.
“One of the challenges is the unknown of when you will be paid and how much you will be paid,” said Winkelman.
She said inflation makes the cost of running a dairy farm more expensive but the milk prices tend to stay low.
According to data obtained by The Guardian from Food and Water Watch, the average American dairy farm only turned a profit twice in the past two decades.
She said another major issue being faced by farmers is finding workers.
“That is something that technology is helping with,” said Winkelman. “Instead of having to secure employees and pay them enough, robotics have come in to take care of some of those labor problems.”