At Connecterra, we believe farmer empowerment is essential in reducing the dairy industry’s impact on the planet. The Ida platform was developed using artificial intelligence models to deliver on our ambitious mission. To date, Ida has helped farmers achieve quantifiable improvements in efficiency and productivity.
Today we’re excited to introduce our newest and Impact Forecast-validated model, Ida’s Farm Emissions Optimization model. The model is our first step in quantifying Ida’s ability to help farmers make decisions that reduce their CO2 emissions.
Ida’s Farm Emissions Optimization model predicts an optimized set of interventions that a farmer can implement to improve emissions intensity while balancing other key metrics. To test version 0.1, we chose a use case with a Dutch farmer with 175 dairy cows. We then worked with the EIT Climate KIC and Impact Forecast to independently assess and validate potential CO2 reductions.
The results showed that Ida could help a typical Dutch farmer reduce the equivalent of 42t CO2eq for 2 million KG of milk produced per year. The reduction was validated and certified through a two-step process with Impact Forecast’s tools and independent validator.
How did we do this?
Ida’s artificial intelligence uses a combination of machine learning models to process billions of datapoints. She translates them into easy-to-interpret, actionable insights which are used by farmers, advisors and industry stakeholders to make better decisions. And better decision-making means more efficient, productive and, ultimately, sustainable farms.
For the Farm Emissions Optimization model, we took a slightly different approach:
Future Enhancements:
The Farm Optimization Model can work in tandem with methane reducing and eliminating innovations. One of our avenues of investigation will be to model the impact of new feed additives as well as on-farm machinery that can help eliminate methane emissions.
Ultimately, our goal is to help farmers quantify and estimate the best course of action using its predictive capabilities. Version 0.1 of Ida’s Farm Emissions Optimization model is just the first step in our bigger journey. We’re excited for the road ahead and invite you to join us on our mission.
