A survey of US dairy farmer perception and adoption of precision dairy technologies

The objective of this study was to evaluate the current perceptions and adoption practices of precision dairy technologies (PDT) by dairy farmers in the United States. A web-based survey was created and distributed to US dairy farmers via email, QR codes, and printed materials. Respondents disclosed herd size, farm characteristics, and if PDT were adopted. Furthermore, respondents used a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strong disagreement and 5 = strong agreement) to assess PDT perceptions and a 101-point visual analog scale to weigh between routine flexibility (0) and return on investment (ROI; 100) when adopting a PDT. Data were summarized for descriptive purposes, and a Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess farmer perceptions and preferences toward PDT. A total of 81 respondents representing 48,289 dairy cows across 17 US states completed the survey, and 81.5% of survey respondents representing 47,208 cows indicated the adoption of at least one PDT. Among the PDT adopted by survey respondents, wearable technologies were the most common, with a 64.2% adoption rate. Non-adopters indicated that the cost of purchasing PDT was their main barrier to adoption. Furthermore, survey respondents agreed (median Likert score = 4) that PDT adoption can improve on-farm decision making and the services provided by consultants but requires significant time to analyze data. Lastly, respondents indicated a preference for technologies that maximize ROI over routine flexibility (median visual analog scale score = 67). These findings suggest that adoption of PDT among US dairy farmers increased in comparison to previous surveys. In addition, both adoption and non-adoption of PDT seem to be mostly driven by economic factors. Hence, the results highlight the need for future research and analytic tools to evaluate the economic benefits and ROI of PDT adoption.