Big data technology adoption in dairy and beef production

The US plays a fundamental role in the worldwide supply of beef and dairy products, and it will continue to play an important role to meet the increasing global demand. The cattle industry has integrated sophisticated technological solutions into the production process, known as Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), which includes sensors, big data analytics, and robotics. Specifically, big data technology can enhance production and reduce illness-related losses by providing real-time insights from the whole farm operation by integrating and analyzing all the data generated. However, because this technology is in an early stage, little is known about farmer perceptions and determinants for its adoption. A qualitative study identifies current dairy farmers’ current perceptions, barriers, motivators, features, and benefits expected from the adoption of big data technology. The results show that increasing profit and early disease detection are the primary motivators of adopting big data technology. Moreover, dairy producers expect a friendly user platform, intuitive and capable of integrating all the data in one place. A quantitative study identifies the factors that affect the drivers for adopting big data technology in the beef industry and the willingness to pay. The results indicate that farmer age, herd size, and previous digital technologies implementation affected big data technology adoption. Results also suggest that beef farmers are willing to pay no more than $227 per month for a big data platform.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural and Applied Economics

Grantor

Texas Tech University

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Pina, Rolando

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Lange, Kelly

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Bratcher, Christy
• Machado, Vinicius

• Big Data
• PLF
• Precision Livestock Farming
• Big Data Livestock
• Big Data in Beef
• Precision Beef Industry
• Dairy PLF
• Precision Dairy Farm
• WTA Big Data
• Big Data in Livestock
• Livestock Data
• Big Data Platform
• Big Dada Dairy

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2346/90067

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ttu-ir.tdl.org:2346/90067