Chitale Dairy Uses RFID to Improve Milk Yields

Initially, Samad notes, researchers did not share the information input by service providers, or the subsequent milk analysis reports they generated from that data, with farmers, "thinking that it may not be of much use to them." However, he says, "Their immediate demand was that they should also get this report as a text message. They then started comparing the analysis report they get when they hand over milk at the collection center, and they started protesting in case of discrepancy in milk fat value."

Based on analyses of the data provided by the RFID-based system, the school has begun working with the farmers regarding such details as convincing farmers not to restrain their animals in a small space, and not bathe the animals or regularly wash the concrete or brick floor twice daily, as researchers discovered that the trapped animal waste, combined with excess, pooling water, was a key factor leading to diseases, bad sanitation and reduced fertility. Instead of being bathed, the animals remain clean because they have more freedom of movement and no longer lie on wet, contaminated floors. "This idea is catching on fast," Samad says, explaining that the farmers "realize the benefits of the new system in two weeks, in terms of less labor, less water to fetch, [fewer] disease problems and better feed digestions due to improved rumination."

For service providers, the recording of information about the services they provide and their observations about an animal's health is easier than the previous method or manually handwriting reports following conversations with farmers. "They have data to convince management of their work contribution," Samad states, "and their performance, in terms of enhancement of productivity, can be calculated." Prior to using the system, service providers typically visited animals based on reported sicknesses, and often provided inappropriate administration of drugs and hormones, since information was based only on farmers' verbal reports. The focus of service providers has shifted from simply responding to calls from farmers when an animal seems to be sick, for example, to productivity enhancement and health management based on data from routine visits.

According to Samad, Chitale hopes to increase the number of tagged cows and buffaloes from 6,000 animals to 10,000 during the next three months. Its target is to have 20,000 of the farmers' animals tagged by 2011.

Another dairy company that has used the Herdman software is Sangamner Milk Union, a dairy cooperative located in Maharashtra. Last year, Sangamner began attaching a plastic ear tag to each of 5,000 animals, with a printed ID number stored and managed in the Herdman server software. Based on the content of the text-message data provided by the service providers over the past year regarding each animal's condition, health and services received, the group has decided to attach RFID tags to the animals, in order to ensure the accuracy of the data related to each animal. This would enable service providers to use an RFID interrogator to read a tag's ID automatically, rather than having to visually read and input a printed number, which could lead to errors related to entering an incorrect ID number. The cooperative's target, Samad says, is to convert 5,000 animals' current plastic ear tags to RFID in one year. The group provides services to approximately 100,000 animals, which it hopes to tag and begin tracking over the next three years.