“智能农场”高科技追踪奶牛的行为

‘Smart Farm’ Technology Tracks Behavior of Cows

Artificial intelligence (AI) has arrived on the farm.

A Dutch company has developed technology to follow the movements and activities of cows. The high-tech¹ system, powered by AI and motion sensors³, is called “The Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant.”

The company, Connecterra, launched the system in the United States in December 2017 after several years of testing and operations in Europe.

A device is put around the neck of the cow to record its movements. This information is then processed by a computer that uses AI to learn about the animal’s behavior over time.

The system can tell farmers what the cow is doing in real time.

This information can help predict when cattle get sick, become less productive or are ready for mating.

Richard Watson owns the Seven Oaks Dairy in Waynesboro, Georgia. He was one of the first American farmers to use the high-tech system.

“It can pick up whether the cow is eating, whether it is ruminating⁴, whether it is walking, whether it is drinking, whether it is laying down, standing⁵ up.”

Watson said the system is a big help because it is impossible for farmers to keep up with the activities of each cow individually.

He added that having a computer identify which of his 2,000 cattle need attention could help improve farm productivity by up to 10 percent. He estimates this difference could greatly increase his profits.

“Just a 10 percent or five percent increase, or improvement in productivity, means hundreds of thousands of dollars to us, aside from the fact that we just want happier and healthier and more welfare in our animals, anyway.”

Watson says he sees the technology being used in many large farming systems if it continues to be successful over time.

The founder⁶ and head of Connecterra is Yasir Khokhar. He says the idea for the system came while he was living on a dairy farm south of Amsterdam.

“It turns out the technology farmers use is really outdated⁷ in many respects,” Khokhar told the Associated Press. He added that most of the technology that does exist is difficult to use. He says modern agriculture greatly needs new technology like this.

The company says information about the cows can be collected and seen on a cellphone or other mobile device. A text message can also inform farmers of concerns involving the animals.

Some American farmers are using other sensor² equipment to receive messages about their cows.

Moocall, a business based in Ireland, says its products can send farmers a text message when their cows are ready to give birth. A device put on the cow’s tail measures the number of contractions⁸ to predict the most likely time of birth.

The company also sells a product called Moocall HEAT. It says this device uses temperature sensors to predict the exact time a female is in heat, the time that she is ready for mating.

Mary Mackinson Faber is a fifth-generation farmer who lives near Pontiac, Illinois. She said such devices could be great tools to inform farmers about the condition of their cows before problems happen.

“That if a cow is calving it will shoot us a text, and we can – you know – come out here and check on it.”

Faber added that while the technology is a very useful tool, she believes it will always take more than machines to do what is right for the animals.

“There are certain tasks that it can help with, and it can assist us, but I don’t think it will ever replace the human.”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

artificial intelligence – n. the ability of a machine to reproduce human behavior

ruminate¹⁰ – v. to bring up and chew again what was already chewed and swallowed

welfare – n. the state of being happy and healthy

outdated – adj. no longer useful or acceptable: not modern or current

contraction⁹ – n. a strong, painful movement of muscles experienced during the birthing process

task – n. a piece of work given to someone

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

3 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

4 ruminating   

v.沉思( ruminate的现在分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼

参考例句：

• He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth. 他坐在那儿沉思，轻轻地抚弄着桌布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is ruminating on what had happened the day before. 他在沉思前一天发生的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

8 contractions   

n.收缩( contraction的名词复数 )；缩减；缩略词；（分娩时）子宫收缩

参考例句：

• Contractions are much more common in speech than in writing. 缩略词在口语里比在书写中常见得多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Muscle contractions are powered by the chemical adenosine triphosphate(ATP ). 肌肉收缩是由化学物质三磷酸腺苷(ATP)提供动力的。 来自辞典例句

9 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

10 ruminate   

v.反刍；沉思

参考例句：

• It is worth while to ruminate over his remarks.他的话值得玩味。
• The cow began to ruminate after eating up grass.牛吃完草后开始反刍。