The future of farm tech in New Zealand

As farms generate more data than ever before, the challenge is figuring out how to use it effectively and unlock its potential. Meanwhile, interest from customers and consumers worldwide is growing, particularly in how their food is produced and the quality of life of the animals involved.

Between 2020 and 2024, DairyNZ worked alongside AgResearch and Fonterra on the New Zealand Bioeconomy in a Digital Age (NZBIDA) programme. This initiative explored how farmers could leverage digital technologies and data to improve farm management and enhance animal care.

The programme aimed to understand how technology could offer insights into a cow’s daily experience to support positive animal wellbeing outcomes. We were also aware of the abundance of data available from different technologies, so we wanted to explore how it could help reduce the complexity of decision-making on farms.

There were several elements, including some initial background work led by Fonterra, to uncover what customers were seeking from a cow wellbeing perspective. Further work explored the range of available technologies and their wellbeing-related measurements, with a strong emphasis on wearable devices.

The three main projects focused on understanding cow wellbeing via digital technology, measuring and predicting heat stress in NZ dairy cows, and the potential for wearable data to aid in pasture management.

Check out the webinar series sharing learnings from the NZBIDA Programme.