Crafting the Gold Standard in Livestock Production

Naveen Kumar , Founder & CEO of MeatByte.com

 

“The first step towards dynamic livestock production is being in the vanguard of digital literacy. Only when farmers, buyers, and the pioneers of change are guided in the direction of skill development, literacy, and awareness can the livestock landscape reform and flourish.” 

 

The agricultural ecosystem is a dynamic landscape that, through an age-old system of supply and demand, produces and delivers food. However, challenges like a lack of transparency, traceability, and trustability thwart the concept of a picture-perfect livestock production system. Farmers’ businesses and the relationship between farmers and buyers are marred by inadequate information regarding food quality and sustainability, concerns about ethical farming, livestock hygiene, material handling, temperature, and financial clarity.

 

While technological advancements have taken the agrarian sector to unprecedented heights, this discussion ventures into a new direction. It opens the door to a revamped ecosystem where technology meticulously designs a world where the ‘farm-to-table’ culture reigns supreme.

Livestock Farming: Trials and Tribulations

Livestock production has an unparalleled demand. It constitutes 22% of the food expenses in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. In the current agrarian cycle, business-to-consumer brands give farmers specifications of the stock they require, putting strain on livestock producers to reap and yield crops that meet the precise requirements, failure of which results in massive amounts of produce getting rejected and wasted—one-third of crops get wasted or spoilt before consumption—and farmers incurring heavy losses.

 

Today’s landscape is a revolving door of better conditions and compliance with stringent standards. Merely keeping count of the number of birds, pigs, and cows is not enough; what makes all the difference is quality, traceability, and safety.

 

Technological advancements, such as blockchain, smart contracts, and precision livestock farming, categorize meat and fowl based on material handling, temperature checks, packaging, and hygiene. The advent of emerging technology in the livestock sector will minimize the wastage of products and maximize value, allowing farmers to grow produce that meets the stipulated provisions.

 

“Technology is the new reality. It is the key to a digitally equipped, empowered, transformed livestock future. Technological prowess can turn around the tides of livestock production, illuminating the landscape with transparency, trustability, and traceability.” 

Trailblazing Technologies: Unlocking a Flourishing Livestock Future

Environmental Conditions

Each animal reacts differently to its environment; some reactions are extreme, some are displayed individually or in packs, and some are time-sensitive, requiring technology to monitor animal welfare. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) or Digital Livestock Farming (DLF) is revolutionizing the livestock sphere by leveraging sensors and data analytic tools to optimize livestock health, boost efficiency, and skyrocket productivity.

 

This technology-driven technique monitors livestock in real time to dig into the condition’s root cause and take appropriate measures. Metrics, such as livestock patterns, weight, nutrient consumption, and growing and rearing temperature and climate, craft a methodology that allows farmers to produce the quality and amount of meat that meets the environmental demands.

 

Furthermore, consumer choices are beginning to steer towards sustainability and ethical agriculture, where the environmental factors at the time of farming play a critical role in shaping their experience. In an era where food production systems contribute approximately one-third to global greenhouse emissions, IoT and data analytics-driven precision farming techniques make production systems and farming practices transparent, helping consumers support farmers whose environmental consciousness aligns with their own.

Traceability and Sustainable Livestock Production

Technologies like blockchain, IoT devices, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) forge the path to immutable farm operations, traceability, improved supply chain management, and sustainable livestock production. As animals and birds undergo individual production cycles, these blockchain solutions monitor the entire cycle and supply chain, empowering farmers to make informed feeding decisions and ensure livestock welfare. Moreover, they document and store vital data regarding animal health, feed sources, transportation routes, and processing techniques, giving consumers complete transparency about the quality and safety of the meat they consume.

 

Barcodes and QR codes open a gateway for customers to learn about the ingredients they consume, their type, history, temperature and humidity during sourcing and the entire supply chain, from the first farming step to the food on their table. Additionally, this interconnection system builds a centralized platform for farmers, traders, and buyers to gain end-to-end supply chain clarity and remain in the loop with product tracking.

Fair Trading

The agricultural ecosystem will only attain supremacy when farmers are equipped with digital literacy regarding emerging technologies and the knowledge of livestock. A well-structured livestock landscape also supports small farmers, helps them build and expand their businesses, and ensures they receive proper acknowledgement and credits for their quality produce—smart contracts facilitate fair trade. Blockchain-enabled smart contracts delegate farmers by guaranteeing they receive complete and timely payments by connecting directly with consumers and automating payment transfers from the customer’s account, resolving payment issues.

 

Additionally, farmers can receive payments according to the agreed-upon stipulations, preventing exploitation, removing the need for intermediaries, controlling disputes, and ensuring transparency across contract clauses, terms, and conditions.

Looking Ahead

AgriTech is rapidly crossing milestones, and with the incorporation of technology, it can embark on a journey brimming with immense potential to transform livestock production. Technologies like blockchain, smart contracts, precision livestock farming, and IoT devices in the livestock landscape effuse a revolutionized future that catapults agriculture to the sky by ensuring optimum food security and quality, fostering trust between farmers and buyers, enabling fair trade, and monitoring animal welfare.

 

the journey into industry

 

Naveen Kumar, a dynamic entrepreneur, serves as the Founder & CEO of MeatByte.com and as the visionary mind behind PaperBolt.in. He is an agile professional dedicated to elevating the ag-tech, FMCG, and recycling industries. With a rich history in food production, spanning from farm to factory, Naveen excels in project implementation, agriculture farm setup, aquaculture, production management, and startup endeavors.

Armed with a B.Tech in Engineering from the prestigious National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra, Naveen masterfully combines technical prowess with business acumen, consistently delivering quality and value to businesses of all sizes. His relentless pursuit of innovation reshapes these industries with each endeavor