First Automated Body Condition Scoring System
DeLaval launches the world’s first automated body condition scoring system. The technology is based on a 3D camera fixed on a gate. Once a cow passes under the camera, the system recognises the movement and selects the best still image of the cow in the video sequence. The image is converted into an accurate body condition score.
“Most farmers understand the concept and benefits of body condition scoring but for various reasons they are not doing it today. Now that we have a cost-effective solution for consistent, regular and accurate scoring, we see that the potential is huge, says Fernando Mazeris, Vice President Farm Management Support Systems at DeLaval.
“The technology is a world-first and completely changes the way the farming community will look at body condition scoring. Achieving an accurate body condition score is now extremely simple,” says Mazeris. “It gives consistent and daily feedback on the condition of a herd without any work on the part of the farmer. That’s valuable information that can have significant benefits to the health of the cow and to the running and profitability of the farm.”
Making sure your herd is healthy is quite simply, a profitable move. By consistently and regularly measuring a cow’s body condition score, a farmer can ensure that every cow’s body condition score is good through all stages of the lactation cycle.
- Save the farmer time since the need for manual body condition scoring is gone. The alternative is that it will save the farmer the cost of bringing in resources such as feed advisors or veterinarians to do the body condition scoring.
- Eliminates the subjective nature of scoring.
DeLaval is now selling its DeLaval body condition scoring BCS in a limited number of countries in Europe, Canada and Asia. The innovative system is expected to be sold across North America by the end of Q2 2016. Canadian dairy producers can view the DeLaval Body Conditioning Scoring Camera in operation should check out Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock Ontario this September. The DeLaval body condition scoring has been awarded the acclaimed Innov’Space 2015 award.
Source: DeLaval
