Infrared thermal imaging helps manage livestock, feedlot
Mark Spire, beef specialist in the Food Animal Health and Management Center at Kansas State University, said that, while the unit isn't used to predict illness in cattle, other uses in quality assurance programs and evaluating efficiency are important.
The unit, used like a video camera, measures the rates of radiant energy loss in cattle. Radiant energy losses are proportional to feed intake, so if energy levels fall because of appetite suppression, the camera will show a cooler thermal profile.
The unit can also be used in quality assurance programs for feedlot owners. Spire said conditions such as injection site reactions, abscessed implants and lamenesses that alter blood flow to the affected area are potentially detectable.
"As we vaccinate animals to prevent illness or treat animals, the products that we are using may cause a tissue reaction much like a reaction following a flu shot in humans," Spire said. "So we like to monitor where the injection may have been placed in the animal, how long a certain product may react and the severity of the reaction."
The camera, priced at $50,000, can monitor cattle in real time and as the camera lens can allow, making the unit time-efficient. Spire said despite the cost, thermal cameras can economically help feedlots monitor the health and well-being of cattle. "With labor shortages happening in the feedlot industry right now, we think any move we can make to help offset part of that cost of labor can be a benefit."
Edited by Maeve McKenna
Assistant Editor, Photonics Online