How can we help solve the climate challenge?

Barns fitted with new 3D cameras that monitor cows are helping dairy and beef producers save feed costs, reduce climate impact and improve animal welfare.

Consumer pressure is mounting on farmers to produce food more efficiently and with fewer greenhouse gases while at the same time ensuring good animal welfare is top of the agenda.

Farmers, retailers and food processors know they need to improve their businesses but the main issue is how to ensure income while pursuing this efficiency drive. The main questions focus on how agriculture can become more feed-efficient and climate-friendly.

The Danish Agriculture & Food Council launched the Global Climate Task Force and VikingGenetics is proud to be part of this effort to reduce the global carbon footprint.

The most important part of the future work of the Global Climate Task Force is to identify how the Danish food cluster can be part of the solution to the global climate challenge.

Around 60-70% of the variable costs on a dairy or beef farm relate to feeding the cows. On average, 6% of a cow's energy is spent on producing methane rather than milk. However, this varies from 2-12% depending on how efficient the cow is in converting feed into milk.

To improve feeding efficiency and reduce global milk and meat production emissions, VikingGenetics has developed the CFIT technology and a Saved Feed Index for the dairy and beef industry. Based in the Nordic countries, the bovine genetics company has spent more than a decade on extensive data collection and R&D in this field.

The Saved Feed Index is based on data from the CFIT technology, a system where 3D cameras monitor and measure the feed intake at barns. This happens throughout the lactation of the cows from commercial herds, without disturbing the daily routine and cow's natural behaviour.

How to quantify the amount of feed

The 3D cameras and artificial intelligence identify the cows in the barn, estimate their weight and quantify how much they eat. Each cow is identified from pictures of its back. The cameras record the cow's distinct pattern of colours and body shape.

To quantify the amount of feed that each cow consumes during the day, the cameras take pictures of the surface of the feed. One picture is taken before the cow goes to the feeding table to eat, and one after she leaves. By subtracting the two images, the CFIT technology helps the farmer quantify the amount of feed that the cow consumes 24/7, all year round.

According to an Arla report, the cow’s digestion and the cow’s feed account for over 80% of on-farm emissions. By improving the cow’s feed efficiency, the dairy and beef industry can reduce global carbon milk and meat production emissions.

By using the highest-ranking Saved Feed sires from VikingGenetics, farmers can reduce dry matter intake by 230,000 kilograms for a herd with 1,000 cows.

David says: “If a VikingGenetics cow replaces an average European cow, it gives a saving of 0.1 kg CO2 per kg of milk. On other continents, the savings can be even bigger and are expected to be 0.33 kg CO2 per kg of milk. If we add things up, with the current prevalence of our genetics worldwide, it gives an estimated saving of approx. 0.74 million tonnes CO2 per year.

"For us, it makes a lot of sense to be part of the solution and contribute with our know-how to this crucial effort. A dairy farmer in India can, for example, reduce methane emissions by 33% per litre of milk if they use our genetics,” he adds.

VikingGenetics is one of the leading companies in the industry that strives and invests heavily to reduce the carbon footprint from cattle breeding. The CFIT technology and Saved Feed Index provide the reliable data farmers need to breed feed-efficient cows, make a profitable dairy business and create a better future.