HFX315 Smart Livestock Production

This course explores the management of animal production systems that utilises novel digital technology and how we can use it to optimise animal production, while satisfying health, welfare, environmental and societal demands.

For these systems to be achieved and optimized, we will look into the importance of studying interrelationships between contributing factors and technology. Factors include feeding, housing and management, animal behavior and welfare, health, genetic, and overall impact on the environment. The course also covers the state-of-the-art digital monitoring and/or surveillance systems per production species (pig, cattle, chicken, sheep, goat). We will discuss the ongoing challenges of how to efficiently integrate the functions of all available on-farm systems to a smart farm-IoT (Internet of Things) and how to use the data collected by these systems, with the help of for example, AI/machine learning supported analyses.

Knowledge: Students will know how novel digital technology and surveillance systems are used for herd management in smart livestock production. Students will gain insight into the current technology used for different farm species and how this information can be utilised in decision-making processes.

Skills: The students should be able to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on farm-level and use information from novel digital technology and surveillance systems in decision-making processes.

Competence: The students will be able to optimize and improve livestock production systems by using smart technology with focus on importance of feeding, housing and management, animal behavior and welfare, health, genetic, and overall impact on the environment.