Recent advances in decision support for beef and dairy farming: modeling approaches and opportunities

Abstract

This paper surveys recent literature on decision support for beef and dairy farming, covering 110 articles published between 2016 and 2022. We classify these articles based on the type of farm, country of application, objectives and decisions, model scope, and methodology. The paper provides guidance for future research efforts by discussing the choice between whole farm and intrafarm modeling, the choice between optimization and simulation, and how to leverage existing modeling frameworks. Additionally, we identify opportunities for future research and discuss possibilities for increasing the adoption of decision-support tools in practice by farmers and industry advisors.