New age dairy farming: Precision dairy farming (PDF): A review

Abstract

Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long term production of milk, which is processed for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming from being ‘traditional family run businesses’ today, has grown hugely to an organized dairy industry with technological specializations in every part of the process. Affluent farmers are seeking to establish dairying units on a commercial level, with a big herd size of 30-50 animals and modern machinery. These large commercial farms are required to cope with a growing population, higher incomes, increasing health consciousness, and the consequent explosion in demand for pouch milk and value-added products across the country. Thus, farmers are shifting towards adopting modern dairy farming techniques in order to increase their production. Whether it is single-cow farms in India or commercial dairies, the dairy industry is under pressure in light of changing market forces and consumer preferences. A recent ban on selling cows for slaughter, dairy farmers are less likely to expand their herds since there is no market for cows that can no longer produce milk. Further, dairy farmers are looking for higher levels of quality, transparency, and consistency in their supply chains. Adopting the Precision Dairy Farming is best approach to increase the individual animal capacity and performance to maximize the profit and minimizes the production cost.