How AI Is Reshaping Dairy: Insights from Manuel Soares of Milc Group
Exploring the Tools Bringing Speed, Accuracy and Real-Time Support to Dairy Teams
Bringing Dairy Challenges Into the Age of AI
Recorded live at World Dairy Expo, Manuel Soares, CEO of Milc Group, shared how artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping daily operations on modern dairies. From predicting cow health to guiding employees with real-time, voice-activated support, he described technology not as a replacement for people but as a way to help them perform at their best.
Building an ID System to Improve Accuracy and Speed
One major development from Milc Group is its new ID system designed to increase accuracy in the parlor and in hospital workflows.
Manuel said the motivation came from a simple problem: “The accuracy of the IDs aren’t great.”
Milc Group built a reader that communicates directly to a phone via Bluetooth. As cows load into a stall, the app automatically displays:
• Stall Number
• Cow ID
• Tasks
Employees can complete treatments immediately and confirm them in real time, eliminating re-entry errors and “garbage in, garbage out” data issues.
Live Animal Connections With ParlorView
The ParlorView feature shows each cow as she enters the parlor, links her ID to the meter and ensures accurate milk data tied directly to the correct animal. Manuel highlighted how this prevents the wrong cows from being blamed for meter issues and keeps production records clean.
An AI Assistant Built for Dairy
Set to release next year, Milc Group’s new AI tool, Mira, allows users to speak or type natural-language questions to instantly retrieve herd data.
Examples include:
• “Show me all cows in pen one that are DNB.”
• “Open fresh cows.”
Mira works in any language and is contained within a dairy’s own data platform.
“It’s literally like an assistant with you,” Manuel said.
He goes on to explain how this tool can reduce hours of manual data analysis by pointing consultants or managers directly to the cause of issues such as repro dips, low production or inconsistent performance.
What’s Coming Next
Manuel gave a glimpse into upcoming developments, including:
• Feed Management Guided by ID
• Commodity Verification
• Water-Intake Data
• Camera-Based Weight Scoring
He described these as essential steps toward understanding each cow as an individual production unit. Despite rapid advancements, Manuel emphasized that good employees remain central to farm performance. AI simply supports them. “It’s not going to replace good humans,” he said, noting that the right technologies can challenge employees, help them grow and make their work more engaging.
Check out the whole conversation with Manuel Soares on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch the complete interview below.
