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Monitoring cattle populations is important and crucial in managing agricultural activity. Cattle counting, however, can be more complex and costly than necessary, and even incorrect, in the absence of the proper tools. Fortunately, the advancement of technology today allows a contribution to the extensive livestock sector, both with new research that improves the development of breeding, and in the use of technologies that allow the counting of cattle in a precise and fast way. Pix Force provides one of these solutions with Pix Counter, which is able to count different items (including animals) through image capture. With just a smartphone in hand, it is possible to count your entire herd in a matter of seconds! Today, cattle counting is done using different technologies and even applications. We will look at some of them in this article. Thus, you will see which is the best solution for your business. ALSO READ: • Automatic product counting: is it possible?
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The technological transformation in cattle counting
Farms all over the world are implementing different technologies to increase the efficiency of agricultural production data collection processes. However, these tools and applications are not limited only to agriculture, also serving for cattle counting. One of the fields that goes beyond applications is the use of drones with artificial intelligence (AI), for example.
Cattle counting with drones
Cattle detection is still a challenge for farmers and ranchers, who are always looking for better solutions to manage breeding. Drones with AI and algorithms are making this job easier, detecting and automating cattle counting using images. These drones are equipped with cameras and sensors that capture real-time images of the field, which are automatically processed using image processing techniques, such as image segmentation, in addition to others that identify, map and count the animals in the image. This significantly reduces the time farmers and ranchers take to count, in addition to improving the accuracy of the process.
Field Security Monitoring
Another example of the cattle counting application using technology is field security monitoring. One of the problems that breeders and ranchers can face is the risk of cattle escaping or getting lost. This can be prevented, then, with certain types of drones. With periodic field inspections, it is possible for the breeder to use AI-powered drones, capable of efficiently conducting flight surveys across the fields, capturing and sending real-time images and scenes to the breeder. This significantly reduces the time and effort required to maintain field security, while also minimizing the risk of losing cattle due to negligence. In addition, it allows the breeder to identify necessary repairs in the field, taking actions that minimize the chances of losing cattle.
Animal health monitoring
Managing animal health is not an easy task. Most of the time, breeding farms deal with hundreds or thousands of animals, making it almost impossible to monitor the well-being of everyone in an accurate and critical manner. Fortunately, there are drones with the capability to perform such a task. Today, many of the modern drones are equipped with cameras and sensors capable of capturing cattle images in various ways. For example, AI-enabled drones can be equipped with a thermal sensor, which measures the body temperature of each animal in the field. Using algorithms and image processing technologies, these sensors can automatically process the image to detect any anomalies in the animals' body temperature, alerting breeders and farmers. This reduces the time and effort required to monitor and manage animal welfare, while also minimizing the risk of loss by identifying sick animals through their thermal signatures.
Cattle counting with the Pix Counter
The Pix Counter is one of our technologies for the industry, ideal for cattle counting. The Pix Counter is capable of counting items through images, whether using smartphones or cameras installed along the production line. Thus, in real time it is possible to count the items - in this case, the cattle - identified in the capture. The Pix Counter has two methods of use: fixed cameras and mobile cameras. In the fixed camera method, cameras are placed on the production line, or in the field. Using a local processing unit, images are captured and results are generated instantly. For mobile cameras, you can use the Pix Counter app, which counts cattle anywhere and at any time. All you need is a cell phone with the app installed and you can quickly have the number of oxen, cows, or any other animal in your herd at hand. The Pix Counter is fast in the counting process, in addition to having an accuracy above 95%. It is, moreover, cheaper than conventional processes, which can be costly and inaccurate, as well as time-consuming.
Conclusion
Cattle counting is an important part of farming, essential for the proper and accurate management of breeding processes. With the advancement of technologies, different tools are available to perform this activity. You can see here that Pix Counter provides the solution you are looking for for real-time cattle counting, with accuracy and speed. If you want to know more about this technology, get in touch with us!
Fabio Caraça
Fábio Caraça is the Chief Growth Officer at Pix Force. He leads Pix Force's transformation into a scalable SaaS operation, combining strategic vision, culture, and high-impact execution.
