AI-driven drone technology transforms Brazilian cattle grazing management

Brazilian cattle producers are adopting drone and AI technology to precisely monitor pastures, optimise grazing, and boost productivity without replacing human expertise.

Drones and artificial intelligence are giving Brazilian cattle producers a more exact view of pasture condition. The aim is to tighten grazing decisions, improve recovery times and lift productivity without replacing human judgement.

According to Leandro Barbero, a zootechnician at the Federal University of Uberlândia, the system turns aerial images into management advice on when animals should enter and leave each paddock. He says the model, trained on about 400,000 images, has been in development since 2017 and now analyses biomass, pasture height and weeds alongside herd location.

Barbero told Giro do Boi that the tool is designed to bring “speed, simplicity and precision” to ranchers. He also says it has a 96% success rate in recommending grazing moves, while research data suggest Brazilian producers harvest only about half of the grass they grow.

The technology is intended for commercial drones and can be used on farms ranging from 20 hectares to 30,000 hectares. Its applications also include spraying and fertiliser work, which can cut trampling and improve terrain mapping. The broader market is moving in the same direction, with other agtech groups in Brazil and the region developing AI systems for herd counting, forage estimation and field diagnostics.