Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. June 2025 issue
      2. Cereals event guide 2025
      3. May 2025 issue
      4. April 2025 issue
      5. March 2025 issue
      6. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      7. February 2025 issue
      8. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      9. January 2025 issue
      10. December 2024 issue
      11. November 2024 issue
      12. October 2024 issue
      13. September 2024 issue
      14. August 2024 Issue
      15. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      16. July 2024 Issue
      17. Cereals Supplement
      18. June 2024 Issue
      19. May 2024 Issue
      20. April 2024 Issue
      21. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      22. March 2024 Issue
      23. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      24. February 2024 Issue
      25. January 2024 Issue
      26. December 2023
      27. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      28. November 2023
      29. October 2023
      Featured

      Cereals event guide 2025 available now

      By Matthew TiltJune 20, 2025
      Recent

      Cereals event guide 2025 available now

      June 20, 2025

      June 2025 issue available now

      June 2, 2025

      May 2025 issue available now

      May 1, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Livestock

    Machine learning could accelerate disease detection in sheep

    John SwireBy John SwireNovember 16, 20212 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Machine learning could accelerate disease detection in sheep

    Sheep CT scans could be analysed at lightning speed using machine learning, according to a new study.

    Dr James Robson, a researcher at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), used a deep neural network – a collection of mathematical artificial neurones designed to mimic a brain – to instantly perform the image editing steps, such as removal of the cradle which sheep are scanned in, and computer vision to quickly extract key information at a speed of 0.11 seconds per CT scan.

    The results of the study, published in a special edition of Sensors, showcase how machine learning could be used to help guide genetic improvement programmes and aid detection of invisible diseases.

    98% accuracy

    The image processing model was trained on CT scans already routinely collected by SRUC’s CT scanning team and using an NVIDIA DGX Station containing over 20,000 cores. This allowed new unseen images to be processed using machine learning with an accuracy of 98 per cent compared to those produced manually.

    Important traits such as muscle or fat percentage and length or width of limbs, which are typically measured from the image by hand, were then calculated automatically.

    Dr Robson said: “This tool not only saves a lot of time but allows us to process far more data than before and gather information which can then be used to guide genetic breeding programmes.

    Variety of challenges

    “It’s really amazing to see the wide variety of challenges that machine learning can be used to address. We are hoping to expand this research into other areas and invite any organisation to come forward if they have image or video datasets they think might contain something of interest.”

    If you would like to engage with SRUC in developing novel agricultural tools powered by machine learning, please email james.robson@sruc.ac.uk.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleCargill introduces new generation of calf follow-on milks
    Next Article Calm before the storm for dairy profits
    John Swire

    Read Similar Stories

    Funded vet visits to help farmers tackle endemic diseases

    June 26, 2025

    Spread-a-Bale launches new high performance spreader

    June 23, 2025

    Red Tractor opens consultation for tiered pig standards

    April 30, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Calls for government to include food redistribution into SFI

    July 2, 2025

    Kramp launches own-brand PTOs

    July 1, 2025

    Turney Group to take on Merlo brand with new dedicated depot

    July 1, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.