Livestock management app tailored for bison husbandry

AgSights has created several virtual tools to support livestock producers with herd inventory, individual animal tracking and several types of reports. More recently, AgSights noted a lack of similar tools as such to support decision making in the Canadian bison industry, which is also a demand observed by the industry stakeholders. Since Lakeland College (via Dr. Yuri Montanholi) is leading applied research projects in bison husbandry, a collaboration was established to adapt the existing management tools available for the cattle industry to bison farming. This task will involve gathering existing herd inventories from commercial bison producers that will be compiled and entered in a new (bison version) of the management tools developed by AgSights. The customization of the app will also involve its validation in field conditions to ensure its applicability under the bison producers’ lenses. Besides providing a significant contribution to the bison industry, this activity will support the training of a Bachelor degree student who will be assisting to disseminate the generated knowledge/technology to the bison industry stakeholders (via presentations in bison industry functions at provincial and national levels) and to several students at the Lakeland College (via invited presentation as part of livestock courses taught at diploma and bachelor levels). The kind financial support from Mitacs and from AgSights will also be further matched with existing funds at the Lakeland College to enable attendance to industry functions and related activities.

Faculty Supervisor:

Yuri R. Montanholi

Student:

Partner:

AgSights

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Lakeland College

Program: