Dairy cows typically rest for 10 or more hours a day, so a dry, clean, and comfortable place—such as a freestall—to lie down and rest is essential for their health, well-being, and production performance. One key factor in whether stalls are comfortable for cows is the ease with which they can get up and down, so it is common on farms for staff to watch for abnormal rising behaviors as part of standard welfare management. In a new study in the Journal of Dairy Science, published by Elsevier, a Swedish team, in collaboration with Sony Nordic, introduced a new automated model that accurately detects posture transitions in dairy cows. This innovative approach using 3-dimensional (3D) pose estimation offers valuable, unbiased insights into animal welfare and could offer a less time-consuming and more consistent assessment tool for researchers and farmers alike.

Forests with few tree species pose considerably higher risk of being damaged and especially vulnerable is the introduced lodgepole pine. This is shown in a new study by researchers from Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Uppsala. The results can be useful for preventing forest damages and financial losses related to the forest industry.