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Developments in technologies for monitoring the health of dairy cattle
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23 October 2026
Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies offer new opportunities to improve dairy cattle health, welfare, and productivity through continuous, real-time monitoring. As herd sizes increase and labor availability decreases, technologies that support early disease detection for informed decision making are increasingly important. This chapter explores research using PLF technologies and their application for dairy cattle health management including wearable sensors, automated feeding systems, and camera-based technologies. The intersection between PLF and computer science is explored focusing on topics of data quality, machine learning, and the importance of practical PLF technology design. Key challenges for the adoption of PLF include investment cost, lack of staff training to appropriately interpret, integrate, and maintain PLF data into current management systems, and finding an application that benefits cattle management. The chapter highlights future research opportunities focused on predictive modeling, climate smart applications, and the integration of multimodal data streams. Over time, PLF technology advances can support more efficient, sustainable, and heath focused dairy cattle management.
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Sickness behavior
- 3 The importance of data quality and sensible alerts
- 4 Wearable sensors
- 5 Automated milk feeders
- 6 Computer vision
- 7 Lactation and milk monitoring systems
- 8 Practical and sustainable use of technology on farms
- 9 Case study
- 10 Future trends in research
- 11 Conclusion
- 12 Where to look for further information
- 13 References