News

Dalhousie University was represented internationally this winter (January 31 – February 7, 2026) through participation in the Twin Pastures UK–Canada Livestock Innovation Exchange and Dairy-Tech 2026, the United Kingdom’s flagship dairy innovation event.

Professor Suresh Raja Neethirajan, Dalhousie University Research Chair in Digital Livestock Farming served as Dalhousie’s academic representative throughout the week-long visit, engaging with dairy farmers, researchers, industry leaders and policy organizations across England.

The Twin Pastures exchange, delivered by the UK Agri-Tech Centre in collaboration with the Canadian Agri-Food Automation & Intelligence Network (CAAIN), brought together a selected Canadian delegation to examine how digital tools, sensors, and artificial intelligence are being used on working livestock farms, not just in research settings.

Technology That Fits the Farm

The visit began with tours of commercial and demonstration dairy farms, where monitoring systems, automated milking and data-driven tools are already part of daily routines. A consistent theme emerged in conversations with farmers: Dairy farms are not short on data; they are short on confidence at the moment a decision has to be made.

Discussions focused on practical questions: how early health and welfare issues can be detected, when information becomes noise and how technology can reduce decision pressure rather than add complexity. Professor Neethirajan shared Dalhousie’s approach to digital livestock systems, which starts with physical realities such as barn design, ventilation, labour routines and animal behaviour before applying analytics.

Dalhousie at Dairy-Tech 2026

A highlight of the week was Dairy-Tech 2026, a global dairy trade show with over 350 exhibitors. For the first time, the Innovation Hub hosted a Canadian panel on emerging dairy technologies. Professor Neethirajan represented Dalhousie, focusing on digital twins as decision infrastructure, tools that allow farmers to explore “what-if” scenarios before changes affect animals, production, or costs. Examples included Dalhousie-originated tools such as DairyAir Canada and MooLogue, both already in use on Canadian farms.

Building Partnerships That Last

Beyond the conference, visits to the Royal Veterinary College, meetings with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and engagement with the UK Agri-Tech Centre focused on building long-term partnerships and joint testbeds that work across different farming systems.

As Professor Neethirajan noted: “Innovation travels when farmers trust it. Digital tools only earn their place on farms when they make decisions clearer, not more complicated.”

Dalhousie’s participation reflects the university’s growing role as a global partner in practical, evidence-based livestock innovation, grounded in real farms and real decisions.