2026 trends in cow tech

I recently asked readers of Progressive Dairy magazine and The Cow Tech Report to weigh in on their opinions about cow technology and to predict which technologies might be gaining ground or losing it in 2026.

One of the most important questions that I was trying to get at was: What technologies have already been adopted on many farms? I asked respondents to indicate if they were personally using (or consulting with farms that used) a list of common dairy technologies. Based on the frequency with which respondents said they had seen them in use, I categorized each technology into three adoption rate categories.

Question: On the farm where I work/consult, we are using the following technologies in our day-to-day work … select all that apply. (For allied industry, think of your most progressive farm when answering this question.)

Greater than 50% adoption

• 67% Electronic identification

• 62% Feeding and ration management software

• 60% Cloud-based herd management software

• 60% Cow collars for activity monitoring

• 58% Sort gates

• 56% Eartags for activity monitoring

• 56% Feed inventory software

• 53% Genomic testing

25% to 50% adoption

• 47% Antibiotic alternatives

• 42% Artificial intelligence

• 42% Automated barn control

• 40% Embryo transfers

• 38% Blood testing

• 31% Milking robots

• 29% Robots/automation (other than milking robots)

• 27% In-line milk sensors

• 24% Rumen boluses for activity monitoring

Less than 25% adoption

• 24% Alternative feeds/fodder

• 22% Cameras with computer vision

• 20% Margin projection software

• 18% Cow location technology

• 16% Drones

• 13% Methane-reducing feed additives

• 13% Carbon accounting/carbon credit sales

• 9% Grazing management software

• 9% Virtual fencing

In an attempt to gather feedback from in-the-field users and observers of technology, I asked respondents to name overhyped and undervalued technologies. Overhyped technologies are ones that they didn’t think were ready for prime time. Undervalued technologies are ones that they didn’t think were getting enough credit for their performance.

Which brands made the "not ready for prime time" list? Which ones are quietly outperforming? Paid subscribers get the full breakdown, plus unfiltered comments from producers, vets and tech founders.