March 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 31 /agribusiness Member FDIC | From Forbes ©️ 2025 Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. Used under license. ONE THAT PROVIDES. Time-tested Agribusiness banking. 1/4 Vertical Nebraska Cattleman 4-color Dinkel’s Implement Co. January 2020 If the AI notices an electric prod being used improperly, Sullivan is notified in real-time so that the issue can be addressed immediately. Prod use is meant to be minimal, with a company threshold being used a maximum of 10 percent of the time in the designated area. Every week, the AI sends Sullivan a report of what percentage of the time the prods are being used, which she says is a good way to ensure that employees are conscientious of complying with protocols, even when no one is watching. The technology is also used to monitor cattle slips and falls to further support its animal welfare programming. “What’s really neat is that the camera knows what is a prod and what is not, what is appropriate and what is not,” Sullivan says. “The reason why we think this tool is really helpful to us is that we are so busy all of the time and bogged down by data, and using this, we don’t have to watch cameras all of the time to ensure that everyone is complying with our standards. The AI processes the constant data and reports what we need to know back to us.” From a food safety standpoint, Sustainable Beef has recently installed cameras on their skinning line – the first stage of the hide removal process. Using AI technology, the system monitors whether employees are washing their hands and aprons, and ensures knives are rotated and sanitized in hot-water baths between cuts. This helps kill bacteria and prevents cross contamination from the animal’s hide coming into contact with the clean carcass. Utilizing AI has allowed Sustainable Beef to monitor operations 100 percent of the time while eliminating human bias. Sullivan explains that there is no fear of AI eliminating jobs; instead, it allows employees to focus on tasks that require human interaction rather than constantly checking cameras and reviewing footage. “Consumers expect that food animals are raised and slaughtered humanely. It’s an expectation of our business, and we’ve promised our customers that we’re going to do that. AI allows us to continuously improve on the things that matter most to us,” Sullivan says. From the ear tags being used to monitor animal health to the data management at processing plants, AI has made its way into almost every aspect of the beef industry with the goal of increasing efficiency for producers and laborers. “The goal of implementing AI in the beef industry is increased efficiency, genetic improvement, health and operational improvement in terms of how we manage cattle,” Uden says. “Ultimately, those who don’t embrace it will get left behind.” ~NC~ To view the most current online issue of the Nebraska Cattleman magazine, visit: https://www.nebraskacattlemen.org/ nebraska-cattleman-magazine
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