Addressing Data Bottlenecks in the Dairy Farm Industry

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A better understanding of the current challenges and opportunities regarding data management and data governance in the dairy industry is key to design and define effective data utilization. Thus, a survey was conducted to understand the attitudes of farmers and non-farmers. Respondents strongly agreed that data sharing is a valuable enterprise. They recognized that raw data collected at the farm should be the property of the farmer, and that incentives could motivate farmers to continue, or increase, their data sharing, but most of them were unfamiliar with data collection protocols. Although most farmers are already sharing data, most of them have not signed a data share agreement and feel they do not have data control, once their data are accessed by others. Most respondents exhibited concern about critical data issues, such as ownership, confidentiality, security, lack of integration, and even lack of awareness of the importance of data integration. Farmers indicated that they would be encouraged to adopt a new technology if it is easy to implement and has the potential to improve herd or farm management and profit, whereas they would be discouraged if the technology is expensive, difficult to use, or they do not have clear information about its use. ABSTRACT: A survey to explore the challenges and opportunities for dairy farm data management and governance was completed by 73 farmers and 96 non-farmers. Although 91% of them find data sharing beneficial, 69% are unfamiliar with data collection protocols and standards, and 66% of farmers feel powerless over their data chain of custody. Although 58% of farmers share data, only 19% of them recall having signed a data share agreement. Fifty-two percent of respondents agree that data collected on farm belongs only to the farmer, with 25% of farmers believing intellectual property products are being developed with their data, and 90% of all said companies should pay farmers when making money from their data. Farmers and non-farmers are somewhat concerned about data ownership, security, and confidentiality, but non-farmers were more concerned about data collection standards and lack of integration. Sixty-two percent of farmers integrate data from different sources. Farmers’ most used technologies are milk composition (67%) and early disease detection (56%); most desired technologies are body condition score (56%) and automatic milking systems (46%); most abandoned technologies are temperature and activity sensors (14%) and automatic sorting gates (13%). A better understanding of these issues is paramount for the industry’s long-term sustainability.