The prototype urine sensor device attaches to the hind leg of the cow and by identifying acoustic patterns, can monitor the cow’s “urination events” by volume and frequency. This provides important insights into the urination characteristics of cows in the herd and subsequent potential to reduce nitrogen leaching loss.
Nitrate leaching is a crucial issue for farmers to manage given public expectations and regulations around the impact of the leaching on water quality, and the associated impact on the climate through nitrous oxide emissions.
“Previous research has shown that dairy cows typically urinate 10-12 times per day, with an average volume of about two litres per urination event, and these events represents the main source of nitrate leaching loss from dairy farms,” AgResearch senior scientist Dr Brendon Welten says.
“Our research has shown that while the total amount of nitrogen excreted in urine per day can be similar between individual cows, we have found there is large natural variation between cows in urination frequency and volume per event.
“Ideally, cows that urinate more frequently per day, coupled with a lower volume of urine each time, tend to excrete lower amounts of nitrogen per event and therefore present a lower risk to the environment. In fact, our preliminary modelling suggests this can mean a difference of up to 15% reduction in nitrate leaching loss at the paddock scale.”
Broader development of urine sensor technology has been undertaken by AgResearch for over a decade, with sensor use predominantly focused on research trials for nitrogen mitigation strategies such as salt and plantain. Latest work is focusing on the sensors’ use as a farm management tool.
Funding has been obtained through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) Fund to advance previous research to explore the potential for its use in environmental nitrogen herd testing across a number of commercial dairy farms. Data generated from this will allow scenario-based modelling and subsequent research into how this information can be integrated into the Overseer decision-support model.
“As we further develop the technology from the current prototype, our vision is of a product that could be used to help farmers in the monitoring and management of nitrate leaching on farms,” he says.
“The concept underlying this environmental nitrogen herd testing is based on a similar method as routine herd testing for milk. We are focused now on developing the technology that can be applied on-farm in a cost-effective way, which is no small task.
“Ideally, the urine sensor technology would be deployed on several occasions throughout the year on a dairy farm to provide an estimate of individual cows’ urination volume and frequency, and therefore potential for urinary nitrogen loss from a herd.”
Aside from being able to demonstrate gains through the likes of Overseer, farmers could also benefit from this technology and herd testing approach by helping with decisions around animal management based on the potential leaching risk from the herd, including feeding strategies.
“Our aim longer-term is to be able to provide a tool that is low-cost and supports sustained reductions in nitrate leaching over time, without too many logistical challenges for dairy farmers,” he says.
Depending on progress of the research and proving the potential for the urine sensors to be used as a farm management tool, it is hoped discussion with prospective commercial partners may begin in the next few years.
