Precision agriculture addresses problems in livestock and crop production at the level of the paddock or field. While precision agriculture has been successfully applied to row crops, the concept has been more of a challenge to apply in animal science. Often, addressing animal health requires a herd mentality, treating all the animals at once for everything from preventing illness to optimizing nutrition. In a recent project, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) researchers are using precision livestock to provide insight on animal health and productivity on an individual basis.

Dr. Kelsey Harvey, assistant professor in animal and dairy sciences and MAFES scientist stationed at the Prairie Research Unit, first encountered the Smart Feed system in 2017 as a graduate student at Oregon State. The portable, self-contained feeding unit monitors how much a cow eats at a time.

At Oregon State, Harvey attempted to utilize the Smart Feed system in her research, but the equipment was still fresh and unexplored. Cows weren't motivated enough to use the feeder. Harvey tried again as a doctoral student at Texas A&M, but to no avail. She tried a third time as she came onboard at Mississippi State.

"We've had more freedom to explore the equipment's potential, which is instrumental if we use them for additional studies," Harvey said.

Before Harvey's team could jump into research with the feeders, they needed to validate them.

"As we established guidelines for the feeders, we realized no one had validated the system. It was out there being used, and we were making a lot of assumptions, so the first step was validating the equipment and data," Harvey said. "Ours was the first third-party validation. Other software and equipment that functions similarly has been validated extensively, and this product is a competitor. As we publish papers reviewing the equipment, we need to ensure we have robust, reliable data."

The validation results were published in the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists in 2022.

Each feeder resembles a semi-enclosed cargo trailer and contains two feeding bins that cattle access through openings in the trailer. The unit identifies cows by a tag that tracks individual diet and nutritional intake for each cow.

"It allows us to manage them normally but gather individual data so when we are evaluating production outcomes, we're able to analyze individual intake and production rather than extending data from intake on a group basis," Harvey said.

The feeders have applications beyond tracking portion sizes of cows. Harvey works closely with Dr. Isaac Jumper, assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine with the College of Veterinary Medicine. Jumper studies bovine health and epidemiology. With different backgrounds but similar interests, Harvey and Jumper explore ways to use the Smart Feed system.

"In animal agriculture in general, specifically beef cattle production, we do lag behind in precision livestock techniques and implementation," Jumper said. "The Smart Feed system allows us to ask new questions. The ability to monitor cattle health through a portable and self-tracking feeding system provides unprecedented data collection."

On the horizon, Harvey and Jumper plan to continue to utilize the Smart Feed systems.

"Our goal is to use the system to its fullest. I am interested in the nutrition of cattle, specifically investigating mineral intake during specific periods of development. While cows are pregnant, the fetus is completely dependent on the dam for all its nutrients, including minerals. So, if we get any inadequate intake or transfer of those minerals, then fetal development can be adversely affected. However, with the Smart Feed system, we can optimize micronutrient intake in those animals and further optimize offspring productivity," Harvey said.

In her three years at the Prairie Research Unit, Harvey has been productive in researching animal nutrition with novel techniques.

"I enjoy a career that allows you to have a positive influence on the Mississippi cattle producer but also allows you to never stop learning. Having a tool like this has allowed flexibility in terms of general research we are able to conduct at Prairie," Harvey said.

"I am thankful for the staff at the MAFES Prairie Research Unit. I rely so much on their expertise, backgrounds, and education to make this a successful program. I am proud to work with them and thankful they are always willing to teach me, too."

For Jumper, the research journey has had a similar impact.

"I have so much respect for Dr. Harvey, her leadership, and the entire team's work ethic," said Jumper. "This branch experiment station as well as others across the state exist to do work applicable to the consumer, whether that's cattle or row crop producers. Our collaborative teamwork allows us to meet the goal of the university to provide research, service, and education for the betterment of Mississippi."