At the Intersection of Industry, Academia, and Government: How Do We Facilitate Productive Precision Livestock Farming in Practice?

This commentary is a comprehensive synthesis of ideas generated from a workshop, hosted by Iowa State University, encompassing precision livestock farming (PLF) research and applications for industry–academia. The goal of this workshop was to demonstrate existing institution research and strategically propel further PLF development and industry adoption. Six key thematic areas were identified from participant discussion: sensors and algorithms, implementation, economic feasibility, data, rural and societal impacts, and education and training. These themes were used to focus discussion on identifying the new knowledge needed to drive implementation and examine current and future challenges of implementing PLF. At the convergence of industry and academia sits a unique opportunity to create mutually beneficial relationships that accomplish the individual needs of all parties. Productive PLF is currently hindered by numerous technical and non-technical challenges, but an increasing demand and optimistic outlook may result in rapid producer adoption. To foster harmonious partnerships among industry, academia, and government, a nexus at the intersection of multiple disciplines and basic/applied sciences is needed to thrust future success.