SIP13
Smart Feed System – Livestock Optimization Farming System
Sector: Livestock Management / Dairy Farming
Country of the Pilot: Slovenia
About the SIP
Smart Feed System introduces a comprehensive digital solution for optimizing livestock management through real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and open-source interoperability. The pilot, conducted at Janez Novak Farm in Kranj, Slovenia, aims to enhance animal health, feeding efficiency, and farm productivity, especially for small and medium-sized farms in Eastern Europe that face limited access to advanced technologies and reliable connectivity.
The system integrates IoT sensors, AI algorithms, and open-source software to deliver actionable insights on livestock behavior and feed consumption. By combining cloud and edge computing, the Smart Feed System ensures farmers can monitor, predict, and respond to animal needs in real time, even in rural areas with poor internet coverage.
The Problem
Livestock farmers across Europe face several persistent challenges: high costs of digital systems, limited data management capacity, and poor network coverage in rural regions. Without continuous monitoring, it is difficult to detect early signs of health issues, heat stress, or feed inefficiency. These limitations lead to avoidable production losses, increased feed waste, and lower overall profitability.
Existing Agricultural Digital Solutions (ADSs) are often expensive, complex, or not tailored to the needs of smaller farms, particularly those where language barriers or limited technical experience prevent adoption.
The Solution
The Smart Feed System delivers a cost-effective, open-source ADS that combines sensor-based data collection with AI-driven analysis to support informed and timely decision-making.
- Cloud-based ADS – IoT sensors (e.g., MooHero collars and feeding-station sensors) collect data on feed intake, eating time, and lying time per animal. Using LoRaWAN communication, data is sent to the cloud and analyzed with machine learning models to detect anomalies and predict health issues. Insights—such as feed efficiency, early illness detection, and heat stress alerts, are displayed via a web and mobile dashboard. Integration with the OpenAgri Digital Farm Calendar and Weather Data Service enables farmers to schedule tasks and receive context-aware recommendations (e.g., adjusting feeding during heatwaves).
- Mixed/Edge-based ADS – For areas with limited connectivity, the system operates locally on a Raspberry Pi 4 edge device using Node-RED and EdgeX Foundry for on-site data processing. Farmers receive SMS alerts and offline dashboard updates in real time, while data is automatically synchronized to the cloud once connectivity is restored.
By merging AI-driven predictions (e.g., identifying a 15% drop in feed intake or heat-related stress) with weather and farm calendar data, Smart Feed System helps farmers reduce feed waste by up to 15%, cut operational costs, and increase milk yield by about 5–10%.
Through its open architecture and integration with OpenAgri OS Services, the Smart Feed System demonstrates how digital innovation can remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all farmers—bridging the technological gap across Europe’s rural regions.