Article Details
13 November, 2023
NEW ZEALAND
Waikato Milking Systems has announced its new partnership with OmniEye, introducing cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to New Zealand’s dairy farmers.
OmniEye offers a camera-based, unobtrusive visual livestock monitoring solution designed to detect early signs of lameness in cows. The system uses state-of-the-art AI technology, expertly trained by veterinarians and machine learning.
The system collects tens of thousands of data points, transforming them into valuable insights into herd health and potential lameness events or trends. OmniEye Locomotion utilises the DairyNZ locomotion scoring system, which ranges from 0 (healthy) to 3 (very lame), to assess every head in the herds locomotion scores, a critical indicator of animal health.
Locomotion scores for each cow, accompanied by supporting videos, are conveniently presented on a user-friendly online dashboard. With the implementation of OmniEye, dairy farmers have access to their herd scores every single day, which means they can proactively manage lameness.
“This early intervention empowers farmers to make informed management decisions, including prompt and effective treatment to prevent costly herd issues,” says Jamie Mikkelson, Executive Chairman of Waikato Milking Systems. “Detecting lameness and other animal traits can reduce recovery time, boost milk production, enhance labour efficiency, and result in cost savings. It also streamlines reproduction processes and reduces the need for culling,” Jamie adds.
OmniEye CEO Andrew Christie states “we know the system is world-class. It’s been created in New Zealand by AI scientists and developers to tackle a critical challenge in the dairy industry, as research shows that lameness costs dairy farmers millions of dollars every year. We are already achieving more than one million scores on cows per month, so this partnership with Waikato Milking Systems is an incredible step forward in connecting and solving a problem for Kiwi farmers. We’re excited to kick this off.”
The system is easily installed, and is facilitated by OmniEye, using a small computer device on the farm, connected to a camera located at the exit race. Video footage is streamed to the cloud, where machine learning models detect and score cows identified using existing EID readers. The online dashboard for remote monitoring ensures convenience and accessibility for farm staff, veterinarians, and stakeholders.
“This partnership between Waikato Milking Systems and OmniEye marks another significant milestone in delivering innovative solutions that improve the welfare and productivity of dairy herds,” says Jamie.
As the sector embraces data-driven farming, this collaboration emphasises the role of OmniEye in helping farmers thrive in a changing industry.
learn more about OmniEYE