Livestock production is undergoing a new revolution of incorporating advanced technology to inform animal management. As more and more technologies come to market, new challenges arise with developing a workforce trained to handle big datasets generated from these technologies and turning datasets into insight for livestock producers. This can be especially challenging as multiple data streams ranging from climate and weather information to real-time metrics on animal performance need to be efficiently processed and incorporated into animal production models. Open-source code is one possible solution to these challenges because it is designed to be made publicly available so any user can view, alter, and improve upon existing code. This paper aims to highlight how open-source code can help address many of the challenges of precision livestock technology, including efficient data processing, data integration, development of decision tools, and training of future animal scientists. In addition, the need for open-source tutorials and datasets specific to animal science are included to help facilitate greater adoption of open science.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.