System for monitoring pasture intake

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11116182-B2
Application number	US-201716306974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system for monitoring pasture intake by a grazing animal species. The system comprises a sensor spatially associated with a body part of the animal to generate movement data indicative of movement of the body part of the animal associated with multiple points in time and a processing server. The processing server comprises a data interface to receive the movement data and a processor that is configured to evaluate the received movement data to determine for each of the multiple points in time an indication of a behaviour of the animal at that point in time. Based on the indication the processor determines a time value indicative of a time the behaviour was shown by the animal, and determines a pasture intake value based on the time value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for monitoring pasture intake by an animal of a grazing animal species, the system comprising:
a sensor spatially associated with a body part of the animal to generate movement data indicative of movement of the body part of the animal associated with multiple points in time;
a processing server comprising:
a data interface to receive the movement data; and
a processor configured to perform steps of:
(a) evaluating the received movement data, by considering the received movement data during a time window, to determine, for each of the multiple points in the time, an indication of a behaviour of the animal during the time window;
(b) determining a count of a number of points in the time a grazing behaviour was determined in step (a) based on the received movement data, to determine, based on the count of the number of the points in the time, a period of time value indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal;
(c) determining a pasture intake value, indicative of an amount of pasture taken in by the animal, as a function of the period of time value determined in step (b) and indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal, the indication of said behaviour having been determined in step (a) based on the received movement data indicative of the movement of the body part of the animal: and
(d) repeatedly updating the pasture intake value by performing steps (a)-(c) as further new movement data is received.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an acceleration sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is mounted by a collar on a neck of the animal or by a halter on a head of the animal or by an ear tag.

4. A method performed by a computer, for monitoring pasture intake by an animal of a grazing animal species, the method performed by the computer comprising steps of:
(a) evaluating received movement data associated with multiple points in time, by considering the received movement data during a time window, to determine for each of the multiple points in the time an indication of a behaviour of the animal during the time window;
(b) determining a count of a number of points in the time a grazing behaviour was determined in step (a) based on the received movement data, to determine, based on the count of the number of points in the time, a period of time value indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal;
(c) determining a pasture intake value, indicative of an amount of pasture taken in by the animal, based on the period of time value determined in step (b) and indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal, the indication of said behaviour having been determined in (a) based on the received movement data indicative of movement of the body part of the animal; and
(d) repeatedly updating the pasture intake value by performing steps (a)-(c) as further new movement data is received.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein to determine the indication of the behaviour comprises to select one of multiple candidate behaviours.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the multiple candidate behaviours comprise grazing, resting, ruminating, walking and other.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said evaluating the received movement data comprises applying a trained machine learning model to the received movement data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the trained machine learning model is a linear regression model.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the trained machine learning model is based on a slope of the linear regression model.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising training the machine learning model based on historical observations of the animal.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein said determining the pasture intake value comprises evaluating a linear function for the period of time value.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating an output on a user interface indicative of the pasture intake value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said generating the output on the user interface comprises determining a characteristic of a grazing environment of the animal based on the pasture intake value and the output comprises an indication of the grazing environment.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the output is indicative of one or more of paddock status, biomass availability and animal preferences.

15. A selection method for selecting an individual or reproductive or regenerative material from the individual for use in breeding, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo implantation, or transgenics, the selection method comprising performing, by a computer, a monitoring method for monitoring pasture intake by an animal of a grazing animal species, and then selecting the individual or reproductive or regenerative material, the monitoring method performed by the computer comprising steps of:
(a) evaluating received movement data associated with multiple points in time, by considering the received movement data during a time window, to determine for each of the multiple points in the time an indication of a behaviour of the animal during the time window;
(b) determining a count of a number of points in the time a grazing behaviour was determined in step (a) based on the received movement data, to determine, based on the count of the number of points in the time, a period of time value indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal;
(c) determining a pasture intake value, indicative of an amount of pasture taken in by the animal, based on the period of time value determined in step (b) and indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal, the indication of said behaviour having been determined in (a) based on the received movement data indicative of movement of the body part of the animal; and

(d) repeatedly updating the pasture intake value by performing steps (a)-(c) as further new movement data is received.

16. A production process for producing genetic gain in a population, the production process comprising performing, by a computer, a monitoring method for monitoring pasture intake by an animal of a grazing animal species, and then selecting an individual having a high estimated breeding value from the population, the monitoring method performed by the computer comprising steps of:
(a) evaluating received movement data associated with multiple points in time, by considering the received movement data during a time window, to determine for each of the multiple points in the time an indication of a behaviour of the animal during the time window;
(b) determining a count of a number of points in the time a grazing behaviour was determined in step (a) based on the received movement data, to determine, based on the count of the number of points in the time, a period of time value indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal;
(c) determining a pasture intake value, indicative of an amount of pasture taken in by the animal, based on the period of time value determined in step (b) and indicative of how long the behaviour was shown by the animal, the indication of said behaviour having been determined in (a) based on the received movement data indicative of movement of the body part of the animal; and
(d) repeatedly updating the pasture intake value by performing steps (a)-(c) as further new movement data is received.

17. The production process of claim 16 , further comprising obtaining reproductive or regenerative material from the selected individual.

Assignees

• Commw Scient Ind Res Org
• The Crown In Right Of The State Of New South Wales Acting Through The Department Of Primary Ind As A

Inventors

• Ingham Aaron
• Rahman Ashfaqur
• Smith Daniel
• Bishop-Hurley Greg
• Valencia Philip

Classifications

• A01K11/008

  incorporating global positioning system [GPS] · CPC title

• Y02A40/70

  in livestock or poultry · CPC title

• A01K27/006

  with light-emitting or ornamental devices · CPC title

• A01M31/002

  Detecting animals in a given area · CPC title

• A01K11/004 Primary

  with electronic identification means, e.g. transponders · CPC title