Smart Farming Week: March 10 - 16, 2025
Farm Journal’s Smart Farming Week is an annual week-long emphasis on innovation in agriculture. The goal is to encourage you to explore and prioritize the technology, tools and practices that will help you farm smarter.
In today's rapidly evolving agricultural landscape, more dairies are turning to Smart Farming technology to enhance efficiency, optimize resources, monitor herd health and maximize milk production. The integration of modern technological solutions is transforming traditional dairy farming, providing significant benefits that are reshaping the industry.
From Wisconsin to New York, dairy leaders are trading clipboards for cloud-based logic, building a digital nervous system to master margins and protect a 250-year legacy.
After scaling back her herd, one producer used artificial intelligence to work through the numbers, test scenarios faster and sharpen decisions across the operation as she reset how the business ran.
As dairy farms collect more data than ever, the real challenge is helping the next generation cut through the noise and focus on the signals that drive better decisions.
By pairing immigrant grit with a million-worm revolution, Anthony Agueda is using natural engineering to protect his family’s legacy and redefine the American Dream for California dairy.
Four ways artificial intelligence helps these farmers manage their business.
The integration of artificial intelligence into financial systems is ushering in a more sophisticated era of tax management — one where software handles the heavy lifting.
Adron Belk uses data to cut costs, improve yields and make every decision, from fertilizer usage to what tire pressure he uses when planting. The precision-driven strategy is what’s helping drive profitability.
With annual returns up to 500% and a massive reduction in lameness costs, discover why AI-powered computer vision is the high-ROI investment redefining modern dairy profitability.
AI is the newest hired hand on the dairy, moving beyond simple fixes to protect farmer intuition through data-driven precision, better cow comfort, and a sustainable legacy for the next generation.
This California dairy leverages “tech-forward” automation and data to build a robust biosecurity shield against HPAI, ensuring a resilient and mediocrity-free future for his herd.
Birds are a costly nuisance around the farm. A new technology using laser beams could offer another way to keep them away.
The adoption of individual-cow monitoring technology has created the ability to customize reproductive decisions based on the potential of each cow to respond to a specific breeding strategy.
Crowd gates are often one of the most used tools on a dairy. However, just like any tool, crowd gates can be used incorrectly and can sometimes negatively impact cow comfort and welfare.
From predicting lameness to estimating milk production months ahead, artificial intelligence is starting to change how dairy farms use their herd data.
Artificial intelligence may be the dairy industry’s next management tool.
Robots and sensors can spot mastitis before symptoms appear, but keeping cows healthy still comes down to careful management.
Learn how your farm’s technical data acts as a storytelling tool to unlock hidden borrowing power and transform your loan process into a strategic financial partnership.
Top Story
This California dairyman blends a 100-year legacy with vision tech and automation to help slash lameness and prove data-driven care is the future of cow comfort.
John Deere’s Deanna Kovar details how the company is cutting parts costs, adjusting production and responding to EPA moves on Right to Repair and DEF as farm income pressure keeps the ag equipment market in a downturn.
This South Dakota dairy is a beacon of prosperity. From their calves to their 6,200 cows, comprehensive monitoring and a focus on healthy and productive animals drive success forward.
Having your information compromised is a matter of when, not if, says Chris Sherman from Tech Support Farm.
For the family-owned Bilow Farms LLC, located in Malone, N.Y., the drive for improvement is particularly evident, where embracing new technology plays a crucial role in advancing their operations.
Ned-Tex Dairy’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of technology in agriculture, paving the way for others to follow. Embracing innovation not only serves immediate productivity goals but sets a foundation for sustainable growth in the future.
Jon-De Farms’ strategic move to a rotary milking parlor illustrates how thoughtful technology integration can drive operational efficiencies in dairy farming.
“We have different dairy farms, we have different preferences and we have these great new technologies and tools that let us filter for the traits we want,” says producer Kristen Metcalf. “Why not leave them as long as the data is there?”
In today’s rapidly evolving world, technology has woven itself into the fabric of various industries. The dairy sector is no exception, with innovation at the forefront of improving efficiency and farm management.
Young dairy farmers are redefining the milk industry, not just on the farm but also by collaborating with startup and scale-up innovations.