WEBVTT 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.060 Breaking free from the chains of the past Where 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:18.820 truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.660 waiting on some printed page We're charting new 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.300 ground in the digital age From genomic codes 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:29.120 to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.460 them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight 00:00:32.460 --> 00:01:02.250 we're sparking Welcome to the Bullvine Podcast, 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:05.230 where we deliver the insights that actually matter 00:01:05.230 --> 00:01:08.650 to your dairy operation. I'm your host, and today 00:01:08.650 --> 00:01:11.290 we're diving into a technology that could fundamentally 00:01:11.290 --> 00:01:15.469 change how we evaluate dairy cattle. Holstein 00:01:15.469 --> 00:01:18.670 Association USA is developing automated classification 00:01:18.670 --> 00:01:21.549 cameras that promise to eliminate classifier 00:01:21.549 --> 00:01:25.290 visits entirely. But here's the catch. This revolutionary 00:01:25.290 --> 00:01:28.510 technology might only work for 40 % of dairy 00:01:28.510 --> 00:01:31.519 farms. The rest? They're potentially priced out. 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.319 In today's Deep Dive, we're breaking down the 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:37.859 real economics, why 500 cow operations could 00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:41.879 see $49 ,000 in annual returns, while smaller 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:45.640 dairies face an impossible math problem. We'll 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:48.099 explore what this means for traditional classification, 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:51.780 who benefits, who gets left behind, and most 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:54.219 importantly, what you need to know to make the 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:56.939 right decision for your operation. Let's get 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:00.129 into it. Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, 00:02:00.189 --> 00:02:02.409 we're looking at something pretty big, shaking 00:02:02.409 --> 00:02:05.390 up the Dairy World Holstein Association USA's 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:08.069 automated classification cameras. Honestly, it 00:02:08.069 --> 00:02:10.310 feels like a total rethink. It really does. And 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:12.030 the conversation isn't really, can they make 00:02:12.030 --> 00:02:14.830 this tech work anymore, is it? It feels like 00:02:14.830 --> 00:02:16.610 it's shifted completely to, well, when is this 00:02:16.610 --> 00:02:18.530 going to change everything? That's absolutely 00:02:18.530 --> 00:02:20.969 the core of it now. We're kind of past the proof 00:02:20.969 --> 00:02:23.389 of concept stage, you know. Now it's all about 00:02:23.389 --> 00:02:25.370 the spreadsheets, the dollars and cents. Right. 00:02:26.169 --> 00:02:28.729 Our mission today really is to dive deep into 00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:31.169 the economic feasibility of this whole Build 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:33.789 a Better Cow project. We need to look at the 00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:37.210 projected ROI, how that changes with herd size, 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.370 and maybe more importantly, the real world stuff, 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:42.729 the practical infrastructure problems you actually 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.009 hit on the farm. Yeah, the hurdles. And what 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:48.240 really grabs me is how... how much this system 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:50.199 aims to do. It's not just like those body condition 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:52.580 scoring cameras we've seen, the BCS ones that 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:54.479 basically just measure fat. No, it's way beyond 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:56.139 that. Holstein's going for the full package, 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:59.360 right? Comprehensive trait evaluation, what they 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.340 call linear scoring. Exactly. Linear scoring. 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.680 For anyone not familiar, that's not just a simple 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:07.000 checkbox. It's getting into the nitty gritty 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:08.919 details, measuring things like utter attachment, 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.659 foot angle, dairy strength. Scoring them precisely, 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.319 usually on like a one to nine scale. Which takes 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:17.500 a trained human eye right now. It's a highly 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:20.159 trained human classifier. Yeah. But this tech, 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:23.199 it aims to do that automatically, continuously. 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:26.460 And the timeline people are talking about, maybe 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:30.520 a launch around 2027, 2028, somewhere in there. 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:32.460 And the power here, it seems, isn't just about 00:03:32.460 --> 00:03:34.780 getting an accurate score. It's about where that 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:37.280 data goes. Absolutely. You know, Dr. Jeffrey 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.330 Buehling, his team. They're not just building 00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:41.270 a fancy camera. It's more like a data pipeline. 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:44.090 This system is designed from the ground up to 00:03:44.090 --> 00:03:46.270 feed those scores directly into the genetic evaluation 00:03:46.270 --> 00:03:49.389 system through the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding. 00:03:49.650 --> 00:03:51.650 So what that means for producers is you get this 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.169 steady stream of objective data flowing right 00:03:54.169 --> 00:03:56.289 into your breeding decisions. It could seriously 00:03:56.289 --> 00:03:59.150 speed up genetic progress. Okay, well, the proof 00:03:59.150 --> 00:04:00.849 is always in the pudding, or maybe the paycheck 00:04:00.849 --> 00:04:03.270 here. For this to really take off, the economics 00:04:03.270 --> 00:04:06.400 have got to work. So let's start there. What's 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:08.020 the research saying about the potential annual 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:11.199 return per cow? Let's take that sort of ideal 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:13.840 starting point, the 500 cow dairy, maybe one 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:16.920 really focused on genetics. Right. So the projections, 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:19.360 when you combine that automated scoring with 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.819 the really detailed evaluation, they point to 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:25.579 a potential benefit somewhere between $66 and 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:29.160 $98 per cow per year, which is pretty compelling. 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:33.180 Okay, $66 to $98. Per cow. And where does that 00:04:33.180 --> 00:04:34.860 value actually come from? Can you break that 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:36.860 down? Sure. It basically comes from four key 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:39.540 areas. The biggest piece seems to be better feed 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:42.339 efficiency. We're talking maybe $25 to $35 per 00:04:42.339 --> 00:04:45.439 cow saved annually just by being able to fine 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:47.300 -tune feeding based on really precise ongoing 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:49.699 evaluations. Makes sense. What else? Second, 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:51.420 you obviously save on the traditional classification 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:54.519 cost. That's maybe $6 to $8 per cow. Third is 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.079 expected improvements in cow health and longevity 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:00.220 that could add another $20 to $30. And finally, 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:02.300 making more accurate genetic selections adds, 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:06.699 say, $15 to $25 per cow. So if you add all that 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:11.220 up for that 500 cow example, you're looking at 00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:15.620 an extra, what, $33 ,000 to almost $50 ,000 a 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:17.879 year in value. Roughly, yeah. In that ballpark, 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:20.959 $33 ,000 to $49 ,000 a year. Okay. And if the 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:23.920 system itself costs, let's estimate maybe $150 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.560 ,000, that seems plausible based on other precision 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:29.240 ag tech. That's a reasonable working number, 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:30.939 yes. And your payback period is looking like 00:05:30.939 --> 00:05:33.360 three to five years. That's, well, that's pretty 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:35.519 attractive for a larger operation. Very attractive. 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.379 It makes a strong case financially. But, and 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.000 this is a big but. So most dairy farms in the 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:43.759 U .S. aren't 500 cows, right? So how does this 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:46.120 picture change when you look at, say, a 200 -cow 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.420 dairy? That's a much more common size. If the 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:50.540 per -cow benefit is the same, the total must 00:05:50.540 --> 00:05:52.259 look very different. It looks very different. 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:53.779 And unfortunately, those benefits, they just 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:56.199 scale down directly. So for that 200 -cow herd, 00:05:56.360 --> 00:06:00.680 the annual benefit drops to about $13 ,200 on 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:03.420 the low end, maybe up to $19 ,600. Okay. Now 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:06.319 you take that same $150 ,000 upfront cost. And 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:08.339 suddenly the payback isn't three, five years. 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.079 It stretches out. You're looking at seven point 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:12.079 five years. Best case scenario, maybe even out 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:15.040 to 11 years. Oof. Seven and a half to 11 years. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.000 That's that's a much tougher sell, especially 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.300 when you think about how fast technology changes. 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.470 An 11 year payback is risky. It's incredibly 00:06:24.470 --> 00:06:27.310 difficult to justify. And that leads us right 00:06:27.310 --> 00:06:29.550 into the next major issue. It's not just about 00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:31.610 the purchase price. It's about what you need 00:06:31.610 --> 00:06:34.389 on the farm to even make it work. The infrastructure, 00:06:34.589 --> 00:06:36.689 what I sometimes call the dirt and wires problem. 00:06:36.870 --> 00:06:39.389 Right. The practical stuff. Yeah. The success 00:06:39.389 --> 00:06:41.610 here really depends on having the right setup. 00:06:41.730 --> 00:06:44.790 This kind of 3D imaging. It creates massive amounts 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:47.550 of data. We're talking huge files constantly. 00:06:47.629 --> 00:06:51.329 So you absolutely need serious. enterprise -level 00:06:51.329 --> 00:06:53.589 internet bandwidth. Which, let's be honest, a 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:55.509 lot of rural dairies just don't have. You're 00:06:55.509 --> 00:06:57.769 lucky if you can stream a movie sometimes. Exactly. 00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:00.389 And you need reliable power, probably with backup 00:07:00.389 --> 00:07:02.990 systems. Plus, the camera system has to talk 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:04.990 smoothly to whatever herd management software 00:07:04.990 --> 00:07:07.649 the farm is already using, without all that digital 00:07:07.649 --> 00:07:10.170 groundwork in place. The system isn't really 00:07:10.170 --> 00:07:12.949 a tool, it's just an expensive bottleneck, creating 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:15.319 data you can't even use effectively. OK, let 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:17.199 me push back a bit here, though. I mean, you 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:20.480 can hire a really top notch human classifier, 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:22.579 someone with years of experience for a few days 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:27.160 a year. Can a camera, even a fancy 3D one, truly 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:30.160 replicate that level of judgment? That experienced 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:32.660 eye. That's a really fair point. And look, the 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:35.360 argument for the tech isn't necessarily that 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:37.199 it's better than the absolute best classifier 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:39.579 having a perfect day. The value proposition is 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:42.100 more about consistency and objectivity. The camera 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:44.220 doesn't get tired. It doesn't have an off day. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.300 It gives you objective measurements 24 -7. But 00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:49.160 you're absolutely right. To get that consistency, 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:51.819 you need operational stability. And that's where 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:53.860 the farm environment itself starts to cause problems. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:07:56.220 Real friction. Tell me about that friction. You 00:07:56.220 --> 00:07:58.319 mentioned climate differences being an issue. 00:07:58.579 --> 00:08:00.439 Yeah, we see basically two opposite problems 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:03.040 depending on where you are. Take cold climates, 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.060 think Wisconsin, upstate New York, places like 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:08.040 that. The big issue is lens condensation. During 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:10.000 morning milking, especially in winter, you get 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.959 warm, humid air from the cows and the parlor 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.660 hitting cold camera equipment. Moisture fogs 00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:18.339 up the lenses. We've heard from producers who 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:20.519 literally have to spend time every single morning 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:23.379 wiping down those lenses just to get a usable 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:26.339 image. Such a classic farm reality check, isn't 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:28.259 it? Yeah. The lab prototype works perfectly, 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:30.300 but then you realize someone needs to add white 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:32.500 camera lens to their morning chores list. That 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:34.580 eats into any efficiency gain right there. It 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:36.659 absolutely does. And then you go to the other 00:08:36.659 --> 00:08:39.840 extreme hot climates, Texas, Arizona, Southern 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.220 California, places where it gets seriously hot. 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:44.779 Right. When the barn or parlor temperature climbs 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:47.860 past, say, 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which happens, 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:50.120 the sensitive electronics in these systems can 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:52.830 overheat and shut down. We know of operations 00:08:52.830 --> 00:08:55.509 that had to install dedicated cooling systems, 00:08:55.649 --> 00:08:57.970 like little air conditioners, just for the camera 00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:01.230 hardware. That's a significant, often unplanned, 00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:04.610 extra cost. Adds thousands, maybe tens of thousands, 00:09:04.669 --> 00:09:07.389 to the real investment. And I guess places in 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:09.090 the middle, like the Pacific Northwest or the 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:11.029 Mid -Atlantic, they probably deal with a mix 00:09:11.029 --> 00:09:14.370 of humidity, rain, temperature swings, all creating 00:09:14.370 --> 00:09:16.549 their own headaches for sensitive gear. Exactly. 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:19.129 It's rarely simple out in the barn. So, okay. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:22.220 If the economics are tough, even for a 200 -cow 00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:24.940 dairy, and you've got these significant infrastructure 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:28.179 and environmental hurdles, what does this really 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:30.779 mean for the majority of dairy farms in the U 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:33.580 .S., the smaller ones? This brings us to what 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:36.379 you call the 60 % problem. Yeah, the 60 % problem. 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:38.440 If you look at USDA data, it's pretty clear. 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.100 The vast majority of dairy farms in the U .S., 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:44.019 something like 60%, are milking fewer than 100 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:47.009 cows. Right. The smaller family farms. Exactly. 00:09:47.309 --> 00:09:49.450 And based on the current costs we're talking 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:51.070 about, this kind of automated classification 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:54.070 technology, it's basically out of reach for them. 00:09:54.149 --> 00:09:56.610 The capital cost is too high. The payback period 00:09:56.610 --> 00:09:59.210 stretches out way too long, becomes completely 00:09:59.210 --> 00:10:02.610 unworkable. So you've got this potentially revolutionary 00:10:02.610 --> 00:10:05.330 genetic tool, but it's really only accessible 00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:07.850 to the largest, maybe 40 percent of the industry. 00:10:08.090 --> 00:10:10.330 That seems to be the reality right now. Yes. 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:14.379 which creates a real issue if the goal is broad 00:10:14.379 --> 00:10:16.679 genetic improvement across the entire national 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:19.419 herd. It does. But Holstein is a cooperative, 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:22.179 right? That's different from a typical tech company 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:24.419 that's maybe backed by venture capital and just 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:27.480 chasing the highest return. Does that cooperative 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:32.399 structure offer any potential ways to bridge 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:35.799 this gap for smaller producers? That's the hope. 00:10:37.199 --> 00:10:40.139 Because they aren't solely driven by maximizing 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:42.480 profit for external investors, there might be 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:44.740 more flexibility. We have to start thinking about 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:46.940 different ways to access the technology beyond 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:49.700 just buying it outright. Alternative ownership 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:52.139 models. Like what? Well, think about how other 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:53.600 expensive technologies came into agriculture. 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:55.539 Ultrasound for pregnancy checks, for instance. 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:58.360 When that was new and expensive, individual farms 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:00.379 didn't usually buy the machine. Right. The vet 00:11:00.379 --> 00:11:03.070 brought it out. It was a service. Exactly. Your 00:11:03.070 --> 00:11:05.509 vet owned it and you paid for the service when 00:11:05.509 --> 00:11:07.850 you needed it. You could see a similar model 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:10.769 emerging here. Maybe the classification organizations 00:11:10.769 --> 00:11:13.649 themselves or even cooperatives own the camera 00:11:13.649 --> 00:11:15.950 systems and provide the scanning as a service. 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:19.149 Or maybe shared equipment, like how some co -ops 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:22.250 share specialized feed analysis tools. That makes 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:24.509 a lot of sense. Treat it like a utility or a 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:27.009 service you pay for periodically rather than 00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:29.570 a massive capital investment up front. Precisely. 00:11:29.669 --> 00:11:32.980 Another factor is just time. Technology costs 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:35.360 tend to come down. We'll likely see the price 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:37.620 of these systems decrease over the next decade. 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.440 You might think about it entering the late majority 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:43.000 adoption phase, meaning more affordable and widespread, 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.840 maybe around 2032 to 2035. OK, so patients might 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:49.139 help. Patients and also looking actively for 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:52.120 support. Smaller operations really need to investigate 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:54.549 cost sharing programs. There are often state 00:11:54.549 --> 00:11:56.529 or federal initiatives, grants, things like that, 00:11:56.629 --> 00:11:58.750 designed to help farms adopt new technologies. 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:01.690 Sometimes they can cover 20, maybe 30 percent 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:03.330 of the investment. That could definitely tip 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:06.269 the scales, making a seven or 10 year payback 00:12:06.269 --> 00:12:08.909 feel a bit more manageable. It could be the key 00:12:08.909 --> 00:12:11.850 piece that makes it viable for some. And, you 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:13.450 know, all this talk about automated cameras. 00:12:15.129 --> 00:12:17.289 It obviously changes the game for the traditional 00:12:17.289 --> 00:12:19.230 human classifiers, too. It sounds like their 00:12:19.230 --> 00:12:21.429 skills won't just vanish, though. More like. 00:12:22.319 --> 00:12:25.320 Evolve. Absolutely evolve. Their expertise doesn't 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.879 become obsolete. It just shifts. Think about 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:31.559 when DHIA testing went from guys walking around 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:35.340 with whey jars to automated milk meters. The 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:37.700 job changed. People stopped doing the repetitive 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:39.919 data collection and moved into more analytical 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.600 roles, advising on feed, management, using the 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.139 data. It'll likely be similar for classifiers. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.460 Their future roles will probably focus more on 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:49.980 system calibration, helping farms interpret the 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:52.220 huge amounts of data, providing advanced consulting, 00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:54.720 and maybe still doing the hands -on evaluation 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.419 for the really elite, high -value animals where 00:12:57.419 --> 00:13:00.070 subtle nuances still matter. So if we're wrapping 00:13:00.070 --> 00:13:02.110 this up for you, the listener, maybe you're thinking 00:13:02.110 --> 00:13:03.690 about this technology for your own operation. 00:13:03.990 --> 00:13:06.169 There are really two big things to keep top of 00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:08.830 mind from our discussion today. First, that ROI 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:11.649 reality check. The numbers look good. A solid 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:13.830 three to five year payback if you're running 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:17.389 a large 500 plus cow dairy. But for midsize, 00:13:17.389 --> 00:13:20.690 say 200 cow operation, that payback stretches 00:13:20.690 --> 00:13:23.889 out significantly, seven to 11 years, making 00:13:23.889 --> 00:13:26.269 it a much tougher financial decision. And the 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:29.519 second point. The infrastructure. It's absolutely 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:32.779 critical and non -negotiable. Success hangs completely 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:34.820 on your farm's technical setup. You need that 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:37.559 robust, fast internet. You need reliable power, 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:40.480 probably with backup. And you need a plan for 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.519 dealing with your specific climate, whether that's 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:45.019 wiping lenses in the cold or installing coolers 00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:47.019 in the heat. So before you even think about signing 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:48.679 a purchase order, you need to figure out the 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:50.259 total cost, right? Not just the camera price 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:53.049 tag. Are you going to need... $10 ,000 in network 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:56.330 upgrades or maybe $50 ,000 to add climate control 00:13:56.330 --> 00:13:58.830 in the parlor? You need to ask the vendor hard 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:00.830 questions. How does the system really perform 00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:02.889 under my barn conditions, not just in a controlled 00:14:02.889 --> 00:14:04.950 research setting? What's the plan for technical 00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:07.590 support when things go wrong? Exactly. And, you 00:14:07.590 --> 00:14:09.789 know, thinking bigger picture, this all raises 00:14:09.789 --> 00:14:11.610 a really fundamental question for the industry, 00:14:11.730 --> 00:14:13.669 doesn't it? You have this powerful innovation, 00:14:13.950 --> 00:14:15.850 something that truly promises to accelerate genetic 00:14:15.850 --> 00:14:18.230 progress in dairy cattle like never before. Yeah. 00:14:18.309 --> 00:14:21.730 But. will its main effect be to speed up consolidation? 00:14:22.029 --> 00:14:25.070 Will it end up giving the largest 40 % of dairies, 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:27.110 the ones that could afford it, such a strong 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:30.309 competitive edge that the smaller 60 % just can't 00:14:30.309 --> 00:14:33.409 keep up? That feels like the core strategic challenge, 00:14:33.570 --> 00:14:35.509 the decision, really, that the dairy industry, 00:14:35.669 --> 00:14:37.730 especially with its cooperative roots, needs 00:14:37.730 --> 00:14:39.850 to grapple with as this technology rolls out. 00:14:40.029 --> 00:14:42.129 That's all for today's episode of the Bullvine 00:14:42.129 --> 00:14:45.590 Podcast. Remember, technology is a tool, not 00:14:45.590 --> 00:14:48.559 a solution. Success comes from matching the right 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:51.759 tools to your specific operational needs and 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.860 capabilities. If you found value in today's discussion, 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.059 subscribe to The Bullvine Podcast wherever you 00:14:58.059 --> 00:15:01.179 get your podcasts and visit us at thebullvine 00:15:01.179 --> 00:15:04.519 .com for the full article, economic breakdowns, 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.799 and those eight critical questions you should 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.820 be asking any technology provider. We'll be back 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:11.960 next week with more insights that cut through 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.120 the industry noise and deliver the information 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:16.840 you actually need to make profitable decisions. 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.639 Until then, keep asking the tough questions. 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:24.019 And remember, not every innovation is right for 00:15:24.019 --> 00:15:27.700 every operation. And that's perfectly okay. This 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:30.460 is The Bullvine Podcast. Thanks for listening.