*Data Consolidation was added on April 18th, 2023, from discussions with Rob Trice from the Mixing Bowl. Data Consolidation includes Data Integration, application integration, and “Digital Data Capture” or consolidation at the farm level. Read more about this topic in our May 2022 blog – Farm & Ranch Data Consolidation – AgriGates.io
First coined in 2003 in the US House of Congress, Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) began its Innovation Trigger and so to its deployment of the first generation of AgriTech tools with insight-focused models and subscriptions. As interest grew, first-generation AgriTech was widely adopted by advanced livestock farming systems and countries at great cost.
However, some real issues began to appear as the patina wore off the novel first-generation AgriTech at the farm, reaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations. “Black Box” algorithms, data silos, lack of data governance and ownership, data validation and accuracy independence of the AgriTech supplier, data literacy, and lack of data standards were some of the issues that led us to where we find ourselves today in the Trough of Disillusionment. This is a natural point in any tech adoption and deployment in a sector, where they can look back, see what’s worked, not worked and where future opportunities lie.
To scale the Slope of Enlightenment in food animal AgriTech, we need to focus on the foundations of digital literacy, data consolidation, data security, data standards, the right to repair and data ownership pre- and post-algorithmic processing by the farm level, which are all part of the next generation of AgriTech data tools. This will enable us to produce quality and assessable data, which is the raw ingredient to improving decision support.
It’s important to note that reaching the Plateau of Productivity in AgriTech is just the beginning. Beyond this point, we can expect to see continued innovation and advancements that improve animal welfare and promote sustainability in agriculture.
“The Green Line,” In image one, ascending passed the Plateau of Productivity, represents this ongoing progress, which will deliver even more value to farmers, consumers, and the planet. The next generation of quality data-driven AgriTech tools will enable us to agilely implement continuous improvement processes and create value from welfare and sustainability in food animal agriculture at the farm level and in rural communities, a new age in food animal agriculture.