The New AI Solution That Saves Time, Money, and Questions when Counting Cows
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI technology) we have now solved one of the most challenging parts of raising cattle…. Getting an accurate head count. For hundreds of years, man has struggled to correctly count moving cattle. From beads on strings, knots on ropes, to clickers, man has struggled to get the count right. The human eye and mind cannot react as quickly as moving cattle.
The unit we developed seamlessly records and reports the number of cattle moving under the lens in near real-time. It also retains the video footage for future reference when needed should there be a dispute.
Examples
Our Story
In 2018 we had a request from CAYAC Cattle Auction Yard partners we work with asking if we could develop a means of counting cattle electronically. Counting people entering stores in shopping malls has been done for years, so we brought this concept to a well-known human counting tech company to see if they could adapt their technology to cattle. Initial testing looked promising in our first attempt to gather video data in a cattle auction yard in Georgia. Accuracy was critical and we determined that the technology they used was not currently up to par for counting cattle. In 2022 we decided to take another run at this we felt it was now possible due to the advancement in camera technology and AI. Our new tech team developed a microprocessor and combined it with high-resolution cameras using AI to develop software that now accurately identifies cattle of various colors, sizes, and breeds.
Counting Cattle in a Sale Barn is not easy, cattle have a mind of their own and will bunch together, enter the sale ring backward, sideways, on the back of another cow, change directions or run out of the arena back into the holding area. Thus, the counting needed to take all of this into account. ID an individual animal and add or subtract as the bovine direction changes.
We believe Cow Counter will become an indispensable tool saving time and money for anyone counting groups of cattle. In addition to solutions for Cattle Auction yards, our technology also has solutions for feedlots and large cattle ranching operations. We look forward to scheduling a time with you to showcase this exciting new technology.
Background Information
Tommy Allen is the Grandson of a cattle buyer in Pacific Northwest. Tommy has run a cow calf operation, run 400 yearlings in the Blue Mountains and started CAYAC Cattle Auction Yard Advertising Co-op in 2016 with over 100 affiliate sale barns working with Tommy to get messages out to cattle producers.