Redmond, Washington -A tool for the grazing management of cattle, which were developed by researchers at Washington State University, the University of Arizona and the US Forest Service, one of 20 projects for recognition and support from the 5 million dollar program “Ki for Good” from Microsoft.
KI, which supports good institutions, academic institutions, individuals, startups and other organizations in Washington in early 2025, supports AI to promote sustainability, public health and human rights. Stocksmart receives 100,000 US dollars on Microsoft Azure Cloud Computing Credits as the winner, and his creators have the opportunity to work with AI for good laboratory scholars.
“I am pleased to use high-ranking computer technology to examine further Stocksmart applications,” said Sonia Hall, specialist at WSU Agricultural Climate Resilience and co-leader from Stocksmart Project. “In addition to AI, technologies such as virtual fencing open up new ways to inform grazing decisions about finely coordinated information and the ability to react in real time. The value of Rangeland is sometimes not valued. Therefore it is a great opportunity to contribute to their sustainable management.”
Stocksmart helps pet owners and rural agency managers in the western USA with detailed, remote -recorded geospatial data with fences and water locations provided by users, how much food is available to their cattle and where.
The researchers hope that the tool will soon be used for other health advantages by Rangeland such as forest fire risk, said Project Co-Leader and WSU Rangeland and cattle extension Specialist Tip Hudson.
Forest fires quickly spread in the landscapes grassland and shrub-step grassland and shrub steppe, and the reduction due to herbicides and mechanical thinning can be expensive. A reduction in fine fuels such as dried grass, branches, leaves and pine needles could change the fire behavior, possibly lower the CO2 footprint of forest fires and reduce the amount of public funds issued for their oppression.
Here the Stocksmart Microsoft cooperation comes into play. Plan Stocksmart creators, use machine learning and the AI expertise of the tech giant to analyze satellite and virtual fence-animal sensor data. The results help you to determine certain regions in which targeted grazing can contribute to reducing fine fuels.