January 31, 2018

Cargill has been on fire recently as it moves to reposition and diversify its business in the face of  struggling commodity markets.

The latest announcement from the company centers around the agtech space, with the company making an undisclosed investment in Cainthus, an Irish startup developing computer vision recognition technology for the livestock industry.

Although terms were not disclosed, Cargill has made a minority equity investment, and is partnering with Cainthus to develop facial recognition as a tool to help farmers make critical decisions for their cattle.

Co-founded by brothers David and Ross Hunt, Cainthus is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and has  offices in Ottawa, Canada, and San Francisco, California. The company uses predictive imaging and cow facial recognition based on hide patterns and facial characteristics to monitor the health and well-being of livestock; tracking data based on water intake, behavioral patterns, and heat stress detection – all factors that can affect milk production, reproduction, and health.

“As far as we know we’re the only company in the world that can ID a cow solely using visual recognition…,” David Hunt told The Independent in January 2017.  “Today we have 97 percent accuracy in ID on an individual image, but by sheer weight of analysis our ID accuracy is effectively 100 percent.”

Within seconds Cainthus’ technology can record a cow’s identity and movements, and patterns, which are then used as inputs to an AI platform that can generate data that can anticipate issues or recommend feed ration changes.

Bovine Tested

The technology was installed and commercially tested in a pen of 400 Holstein cows on Maddox Dairy in Riverdale, California, reports Progressive Dairy.  More than 40 cameras were installed – each capturing 30 images per second, picking up on the cattle’s gestures and behavior. These images are then collected and analyzed by a server installed on the dairy.

In addition to this trial, additional testing has been completed at operations in New York, Canada, Italy, and Spain, according to AgFunder.

“Each time a video gets submitted with cows in it, the software identifies which cows they are based on their pelt pattern and how they move,” David Hunt explained to Progressive Dairy.  “We then have another algorithm that interprets what those movements of the individual cows mean. Any gesture or indicator that is identifiable by a human we will be able to identify with our software.”

Further integration is possible by connecting Cainthus’ platform with a robotic milking system enabling a farmer to track each cow’s feed-to-milk conversion in real time.

Global Goals

Stemming from Cargill’s commitment to fund and advance innovation in the data and analytics space, over the past year the company has released a number of investments spanning the livestock, poultry, and aquaculture sectors including Dairy Enteligen and iQuatic (both platforms that facilitate production documentation) and has additional projects in its pipeline scheduled for the second half of 2018.

“It’s important for us to invest in emerging digital technologies that drive value for our customers and for the industry,” said Scott Ainslie, vice president and group director, Cargill Animal Nutrition.  “As an industry leader in this space, we are committed to using technology to address the biggest challenges facing the food system.”

With the help and backing of Cargill, Cainthus has an eye toward not only global expansion, but the expansion of the application of its technology into other production categories such as pork, aquaculture or poultry.

“We are enthused about what this partnership will mean for farmers across the world,” said David Hunt, president and co-founder, Cainthus. “Cargill is a natural partner for us, given their focus on bringing a world-class digital capability to the market and their understanding of how technology will truly help farmers succeed.  We think this partnership will be a game changer for farmers because it will allow them to efficiently scale their business.”

-Lynda Kiernan