New Bluetooth Technology Helps Ranchers Find Sick Cows Days Before Symptoms

Using its AI-enabled predictive health platform to improve the security of the beef and dairy supply chain through early disease prediction, MyAnIML™ released today new geolocation technology to identify and find sick cattle 2-3 days in advance of symptoms to protect the health of the herd.

MyAnIML’s patent-pending technology employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a broad range of total health indicators using the industry’s first facial - specifically a cow’s muzzle - recognition library dataset, designed and built by MyAnIML. Its newly released Bluetooth-enabled ear tag helps producers quickly find the individual animal in the herd in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

“We know from advances in human biometrics and deep-learning technology that the face can be a reliable predictor of disease. Using the same concept, we can now “fingerprint” an individual cow’s muzzle to monitor its health and predict a variety of issues days in advance,” said Shekhar Gupta, MyAnIML’s founder and CEO, who discovered and commercialized the first-of-its-kind technology solution in animal agriculture. “By addressing symptoms early, we can better ensure the health and well-being of the entire herd for a more reliable and efficient food supply chain.”

Together, the hardware and software stack offer the global beef and dairy industries a more precise method of herd health management when profit margins continue to be razor thin and the cost of meat, dairy and other food products remain high. Based on a comprehensive analysis of cattle lost to diseases, cost of medical treatment and low productivity impacts, MyAnIML estimates the U.S. cattle industry loses approximately $200 billion annually. For example, Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) costs the U.S. feedlot industry up to $900 million annually in treatment costs, and total industry losses are much higher when productivity losses are factored in, according to the American Society of Animal Science.

BRD is just one of many diseases and health metrics MyAnIML identifies days before other health technologies, allowing producers to isolate the animal and start earlier treatment.

Predictive Analytics Reduces Antibiotics Use and Creates More Resilient Supply Chains

Earlier treatment means cattle producers can use antibiotics more efficiently, reducing costs and inhibiting the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a rising concern amongst health professionals.

More than 70% of all medically important antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in livestock production. The cattle industry takes up the bulk of that demand, using antibiotics to treat sick animals and as a preventative measure. A typical 5000-head feedlot spends $250,000 annually on antibiotics just to preemptively treat calves for BRD, Gupta said.

“Antibiotics have been a powerful tool to keep U.S. herds healthy, but by identifying infected animals days earlier in the disease cycle, producers can reduce the risk to the herd by an individual animal. It’s a win-win for producers and consumer health,” Gupta said.

AI and Bluetooth Technology Identifies A Sick Cow In Large-Scale Operations

MyAnIML’s Bluetooth ear tag was developed specifically to help large-scale commercial feedlots, stockyards and dairies implement predictive health technology into day-to-day operations.

Unlike other ear tag technology in the market, like RFID tags, MyAnIML’s tag helps pen riders quickly find a specific animal using their mobile device, saving hours of labor and more rapidly removing sick animals from the herd.

“In a large-scale, or even small-scale system, being able to accurately predict a sick cow is a huge benefit. But finding that animal has been like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Nathan Leiker, a northwestern Kansas cow-calf and feedlot operator using the MyAnIML technology since early 2022. “MyAnIML’s Bluetooth ear tags connect the dots between disease prediction and animal identification. Now I just check my phone and it takes me directly to the cow I want.”

How it works:

• Strategically mounted cameras take multiple images of cows’ muzzles daily, monitoring for changes.
• Images are analyzed against MyAnIML’s library of health indicators.
• When a sick animal is detected, an alert with its ID is sent to the rancher.
• MyAnIML’s geolocation app’s directional arrows and audio signal leads ranchers directly to that animal.

Commercially available in the U.S. since 2022 with multiple large installations and pilot projects underway in 2023, MyAnIML has attracted international interest and plans rapid scale-up in the coming years.

Ranchers or dairy producers interested in implementing the technology can visit myaniml.com for more information.

About MyAnIML

MyAnIML, an AI startup for animal agriculture, invented and commercialized the first-of-its-kind platform for early disease prediction in cattle using facial recognition technology focused on a cow’s muzzle. The initial discovery is the product of intense curiosity and a sense of purpose by the founder, a computer scientist, and his wife, a physician. Founded in 2021, MyAnIML’s mission is to help ensure the health and well-being of cattle while ensuring an affordable and safe food supply. Partnering with veterinarians, land grant universities and ranchers, the company’s experience developing and scaling data platforms for other industries is now being applied to animal agriculture. For more information www.myaniml.com.