Invited review: Helping dairy farmers to improve economic performance utilizing data-driving decision support tools

• Published in: Animal (Cambridge, England) Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 134 - 144
• Main Author: Cabrera, V. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.01.2018; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal lactation; Animal sciences; Animals; Cattle; Cattle - physiology; Computer Simulation; Costs; Dairy farms; Dairying; data management; Data processing; Decision Making; Decision support systems; Economic conditions; economic decision-making; economic performance; Economics; Environment; Environmental management; Environmental stewardship; Farm management; Farmers; Farms; Feeds; Female; Handbooks; Livestock; Livestock farming systems; Market prices; Milk; modeling; Models, Economic; Nutrients; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Pricing; Reproduction; Review Article; Risk management; simulation; Software; Soil management; Web sites; Zoology; data management; modeling; economic decision-making; simulation; economic performance
• ISSN: 1751-7311; 1751-732X
• DOI: 10.1017/S1751731117001665

The objective of this review paper is to describe the development and application of a suite of more than 40 computerized dairy farm decision support tools contained at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Dairy Management website http://DairyMGT.info. These data-driven decision support tools are aimed to help dairy farmers improve their decision-making, environmental stewardship and economic performance. Dairy farm systems are highly dynamic in which changing market conditions and prices, evolving policies and environmental restrictions together with every time more variable climate conditions determine performance. Dairy farm systems are also highly integrated with heavily interrelated components such as the dairy herd, soils, crops, weather and management. Under these premises, it is critical to evaluate a dairy farm following a dynamic integrated system approach. For this approach, it is crucial to use meaningful data records, which are every time more available. These data records should be used within decision support tools for optimal decision-making and economic performance. Decision support tools in the UW-Dairy Management website (http://DairyMGT.info) had been developed using combination and adaptation of multiple methods together with empirical techniques always with the primary goal for these tools to be: (1) highly user-friendly, (2) using the latest software and computer technologies, (3) farm and user specific, (4) grounded on the best scientific information available, (5) remaining relevant throughout time and (6) providing fast, concrete and simple answers to complex farmers’ questions. DairyMGT.info is a translational innovative research website in various areas of dairy farm management that include nutrition, reproduction, calf and heifer management, replacement, price risk and environment. This paper discusses the development and application of 20 selected (http://DairyMGT.info) decision support tools.