Turning cows into code: Ontario company wants to help farmers and cows with AI

Shari van de Pol, CEO of Cattleytics, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the benefits of incorporating AI into farming.

A Hamilton-based company aims to empower farmers with tools to make informed decisions by using artificial intelligence (AI) across all aspects of their operations.

CATTLEytics offers data-driven proprietary software tailored to dairy and livestock farmers to assist with breeding decisions, targeted animal health protocols, optimal management decisions and even staff scheduling and task management.

“If you’ve ever seen the movie Moneyball, you’re optimizing a baseball team. We want to do that for dairy cows. You’re making your dream team of cows with the data that you have, so next season, you’re going to have the best herd,“ Shari van de Pol, the company’s chief executive officer, told BNN Bloomberg in a Tuesday interview.

The company leverages digital twin simulations, streamlined protocols and custom analytics to enable producers to enhance efficiency, profitability and sustainability without expanding resources. She said farmers save about one to two hours a day with analytics.

“The concept with software these days is that we really try to create a digital version of everything that exists on a dairy (farm) in order to better connect with all the different interactions that would happen on that dairy (farm),” said van de Pol. “For instance, if there’s a treatment plan, we would have a digital version of the treatment plan. If there’s a drug to be used, we would have a digital version of the drug. If, for instance, there’s yes, a calf born, we’ll have a digital version of that calf. That helps us really connect all those different interactions so we can better model what’s happening on our dairy (farms).”

Farmers have used technology for many years. In fact, Canada was recognized as one of the global leaders in the agricultural technology industry with precision agriculture, according to Northbridge Consultants. The market value of precision agriculture in Canada reached $870 million in 2021. Precision agriculture refers to a suite of farm management technologies, as well as data and analytics used to increase efficiency, production, and sustainability, according to CIBC Thought Leadership. Tools include GPS, sensors, robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, and software. van de Pol wants to build on top of advancements made on farms.

“In the 90s, there was precision agriculture then we moved on to have pedometers, because, you might know this, but most cows actually wear kind of like a Fitbit, so that you know how many steps they take,” said van de Pol. “We moved on into the AI age, but we need to continue, especially in Canada, all of these efficiencies in order to be able to provide the amazing, nutritious food that we provide for everybody every day.”

van de Pol grew up in a rural community before beginning her career in computer engineering and data analytics at large multinational companies. She later became a large-animal veterinarian. She created the company combining her passion for technology and veterinary medicine. Her company employees about 12 to 14 people depending on the season to help farmers run a farm while understanding the challenges farmers face.

“In order to run a farm like the actual people, they have to understand animal biology,” said van de Pol. “They have to run a business. They have to be able to service equipment and run equipment. There’s so much knowledge to this but then the workers themselves too, have to understand everything tied to animal husbandry.”

Farmers must also abide by strict protocols. Dairy Farmers of Canada, a national policy, lobbying, and promotional organization representing Canadian dairy producers, developed proAction, a national quality assurance program for the Canadian dairy sector. The program is mandated on all Canadian dairy farms.

“There’s really strict protocols,” said van de Pol. “In Canada, we have something called proAction that is kind of like the way that there’s a food inspection, we have that for dairy farms. There’s so much knowledge that goes into running one of these operations, it’s probably one of the most difficult types of farming out there”.