No two dairies are the same. Facilities vary. Management styles differ. Labor situations shift. Yet across farms that consistently rise from good to great, one common thread emerges.

Feed is one of the most complex systems to manage. Yet many dairies still rely on paper logs, spreadsheets or clunky feed software, leaving room for errors and little visibility into what’s going wrong. That’s why more farmers are moving to mobile feed management tools.

Within agriculture, the dairy industry has long been at the forefront of adopting agriculture technology. How can dairies ensure their agricultural technology (ag tech) acquisitions come with real payback on their investment?

Dairy producers – Jesse Brutscher of DayStar Dairy and Greg Moes of MoDak Dairy Inc. – shared their trials and feats of adapting technology on their respective farms in a panel session during the 2025 Precision Dairy Conference.

Many farms underestimate the challenge of identifying lameness, thinking only 5% to 10% of their herd is lame, when in reality, it may be closer to 20% to 25%. That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) detection comes in – spotting signs the human eye might overlook.

Milking parlors are the drumbeat of a dairy – fast-paced, dynamic environments where small changes make a big difference.

Managing your reproduction program is complex, with many moving parts, but your herd management software can simplify the process. Just as a GPS helps you reach your destination without unnecessary detours, utilizing your herd management software to its fullest potential enables you to achieve your goals without costly missteps or delays.

Dairy cow monitoring is a disruptive technology, to say the least. Since its introduction, this tool has turned traditional cow management upside down by providing actionable insights into cow health and behavior often unseen by human eyes. These data are then used to hone dairy herd performance while saving time, labor and costs.