Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have created a world-first 'digital twin' for dairy farming, combining live data and artificial intelligence to help farmers predict problems before they happen.
Developed at SRUC’s Dairy Research Centre near Dumfries, the new platform — called 'farm-twin' — is designed to transform how dairy farms are managed.
The project, funded by the Digital Dairy Chain under SRUC’s UKRI Strength in Places programme, explores how real-time data and digital modelling can boost productivity, animal health, and sustainability.
A digital twin is a virtual version of an entire farm system — from cows and feed to buildings and equipment — created using data from sensors, telemetry and digital tools.
Farm-twin integrates multiple data streams from different sources into one platform, giving farmers a complete overview of their operation through easy-to-use dashboards.
The platform also supports predictive analytics, identifying early signs of health issues or productivity dips before they escalate. For instance, if milk yields start to fall and health data show changes in behaviour, the system can automatically flag potential illness — even triggering a gate to isolate the cow while alerting the farmer.
Dr Mazdak Salavati, data scientist at SRUC’s Dairy Research and Innovation Centre, said the project tackles one of the biggest barriers to on-farm digital innovation: unconnected data.
“The real power of farm data lies in combining different sources to uncover insights that a single system alone can't provide, and with farm-twin, we’re enabling exactly that,” he said.
“Farm-twin addresses this challenge head-on by aggregating data from a wide range of technologies into a single, unified platform.”
Beyond monitoring and alerts, the platform can simulate different farm conditions to test management strategies, helping producers make informed, data-driven decisions that improve efficiency and animal welfare.
Dr Matt Broadbent, agri-tech Scientist at SRUC, said the open-source approach was key to encouraging collaboration and uptake across the industry.
“We believe open-source is the future of agri-tech,” he said. “It ensures transparency, fosters innovation, and lowers the barriers for adoption across the industry.”
Farm-twin has been designed to scale from small holdings to large commercial dairies, with compatibility for older systems and the ability to integrate historic data. Developers and researchers will also be able to adapt the platform for new technologies and uses.
Professor Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC, said: “With innovations like farm-twin, we are transforming dairy production systems and positioning the sector as a global leader in sustainable, data-driven agriculture.
"This open-source platform will support entrepreneurship, drive new market opportunities, and equip the workforce with vital digital skills while accelerating our journey toward a more productive, resilient, and sustainable future.”
