Cowlar

Cowlar

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A fit bit for cows… yup that's what it's being called…A fit bit for cows. A Pakistani company called Cowlar is making a device that is worn around the necks of cows and buffaloes and the manufacturer it can help dairy farmers increase their milk yields by as much as 15%. These devices use motion sensors to track how far those little doggies roam on a daily basis and also report their core temperature. Data from these devices goes up to the Cloud and turns into text messages on farmer smartphones. This enables milk producers to more capably determine if there is any disease process going on in their animals. Furthermore, dairy men will be able to figure out exactly when females are in heat. With that information times for insemination can be optimized and, thus, help to increase herd sizes. Of course there is a caveat. Many modernized countries already have this kind of technology but as the website Mashable notes, outdated agricultural techniques lead to lower average milk yields in Third World countries. Increasing the average yield by 5% will add $1 billion to Pakistan’s economy every year. The device is extremely affordable at $69 and there is an additional three dollars monthly subscription fee. Apparently about 1000 units have been sold so far.
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