The availability to implement technologies on dairy farms has skyrocketed in the past 10 to 15 years. The volume of products and the data they provide can be tough to sort through. Considering the following points can help you decide to adopt a technology more easily.
How Technology Fits on the Farm
Determining where the farm may need help is a good place to explore technology use. However, technology adoption should not be considered a band-aid to fix a problem. Proper management protocols should be in place before technology adoption. If a farm is adopting a technology to help with heat detection but lacks overall reproductive management, they should not expect to see increases in reproductive performance.
How the Technology Works
No two technologies or companies are the same. Technologies can differ in everything from how data is collected (Wi-Fi, RFID) to interfaces used to interpret the data. Before choosing a technology, farmers should know their strengths and limitations when working with technologies. Some technologies can provide straightforward reports or alerts explaining what needs to be done, while others may require a specific interpretation of the results.
Companies also differ in many ways. Installation and updates with the technology can be a very involved process. Farmers should be sure the lines of communication with a company are open both ways. Ease of customer service, training, and technical support need to be considered when choosing a company/technology to work with.
How Benefits Outweigh Costs
Technologies may also differ in cost structure. Some may only require the purchase of the equipment and tags. Others may be a subscription-based plan. Before adopting, try to fully understand all the costs of purchasing and maintaining the technology. The learning curve for adoption should also be considered in the cost.
Benefits are more challenging to estimate and must be specific to each operation’s goals. Performance indicators are only a piece to evaluate. Farmers should also consider how adopting the technology may impact their time management and opportunity costs.
Technology adoption is a great way to collect data to make more informed decisions. A few of the considerations that should be made before choosing the right technology is how the technology fits, works, and costs. Technologies are not one size fits all. Adoption should meet the goals of the farm.
