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BusinessGlobal issues

Cow AI: How robots are changing cattle farming

Karl Harenbrock
May 5, 2025

Skilled labor is becoming harder to find in agriculture. As a result, more and more farmers are turning to robots to care for their livestock. Automation is easing the workload in barns, from milking to feeding.

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In a fully automated barn, 170 cattle are cared for by robots, with artificial intelligence precisely calculating their feeding needs. These advanced feeding systems, costing around €100,000, quickly become cost-effective as they reduce the need for farmhands. The farmer monitors and controls everything via a smartphone app, allowing for efficient herd management and expansion.

Each cow wears a sensor-equipped collar that tracks its health and activity, sending alerts for any deviations. The milking process is also automated, with cows voluntarily lining up for milking. This automation trend is growing globally, making farming more sustainable and appealing to future generations.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. A journalist edited it before publication.