SPRING HILL — It’s no secret that Tennessee farmers and agricultural industries throughout the state are invested in livestock manufacturing, notably beef cattle, As properly as to poultry. To assist them primarytain tempo with the altering utilized sciences involved, the College of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has devoted A mannequin new evaluation and extension initiative: UT Precision Livestock Farming.

Coordinated by Robert Burns, distinguished professor Inside the Division of Biomethods Engineering and Soil Science, the UT Precision Livestock Farming program embraces shut toly two dozen UTIA school members throughout a quantity of educational disciplines. It is going to advance livestock and poultry manufacturing by way of The equipment of current and rising utilized sciences To reinforce the administration of animals within trendy manufacturing methods. Research efforts will embrace exact-time monitoring of pictures, sounds and completely different organic, physiological and environmental parameters To evaluate and enhance particular person animal well being and properly-being within herd or flock manufacturing methods, finally enhance manufacturing sustainability. An animal’s environment, housing methods, feeding and watering methods, manure storage and assortment, lighting and completely different manufacturing system elements all fall beneath the precision farming “umbrella.” 

Farmers, economists and completely different events will discover a quantity of livestock and poultry tasks that have been already ongoing straightforward to consider On the UT Precision Livestock Farming internet website: plf.tennessee.edu. Future tasks May even be posted on The internet website as information turns into out there.

In April, UT AgResearch introduced the exactignment of capabilities at two of its ten AgResearch and Education Facilities To raised assist the state’s dairy, beef and poultry industries. The Little River Animal Environment Unit of the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center shut to Knoxville is upgrading its dairy evaluation capabilities, and The middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Spring Hill is refocusing its amenities to assist beef and poultry manufacturing evaluation. Now, UT leaders are saying thOn the Precision Agriculture Know-how Unit On The middle Tennessee AgResearch Center has been named for retired enterprise authorities and philanthropist Waymon Hickman, an alumnus of the now-named UT Herbert School of Agriculture, former member of the UT board of trustees and prolongedtime assister of UTIA.

Hickman, with Relations gathered by his facet, was surprised by the gesture Through the July 22 meeting of the UT Fee on Agriculture, which occurred On The middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Spring Hill. Everyone Available was joyful to honor Hickman for his management and dedication to Tennessee agriculture. UT Prefacetnt Randy Boyd made the announcement whereas a mockup of the outdoors signal was unveiled. 

Hickman appeared joyful as properly, saying, “The College of Tennessee, particularly the UT Institute of Agriculture, has prolonged been a ardour of mine. This naming is an honor for me, And that i am humbled by it.”

The exact signal was put in On the center’s primary entrance aprolongedside Freeway 31 The subsequent day.

Kevin Thompson, director of The middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, appears forward to the challenges of The mannequin new evaluation course. “Funding in precision animal agriculture Similar to smart waterers and feeders, To watch animal well being, copy, vitamin and conduct of particular person animals within teams will immediately assist Tennessee agricultural enterprises,” he says. “I Look forward to exactigning the center’s efforts To raised assist the enterprise as A complete.”