Ranchers know that keeping their cattle healthy is one of their most important jobs. And it’s not easy. More than 2.5 million cattle die every year as a direct result of health issues.
However, there might be help on the way. Drones—yes, drones!—could be the solution to a problem that cattle ranchers have faced for years now. The plan is to use drones to both keep track of cattle individually and monitor their health at the same time.
They can find and identify cattle when they’re grazing out in the field.
Cattle often graze over large areas of land far from the ranch headquarters. This makes it hard if not impossible for ranchers to check on the health of each individual animal. Drones can alleviate this problem by covering large areas of land and using facial recognition to identify cattle individually. A rancher will be able to find any individual cow they want without having to go out and search for it themselves.
They can monitor the health of cattle once they find the
Drone technology may eventually allow ranchers to do more than just find and identify cattle. This technology may make it possible for them to check on vital health information as well. The drone will be able to measure things like weight, size, body temperature and more. It can also snap photos of the animal so the rancher has a visual appraisal too.
They can report any potential issues to ranchers so that they can be addressed.
If the drone discovers a health issue with a cow it will be able to relay that information back to the ranch headquarters along with its location. The drones that are being developed for cattle ranchers are still in testing, but many people believe that drones could become very effective tools for cattle ranchers in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime we will continue to use tools available today. Investing in new technology may make your ranch more efficient and profitable in the future. But today you can invest in superior cattle from Flying H Genetics to make your ranch more enjoyable and profitable. Contact us today to see how we can help ensure the health of your ranch.