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Robot dogs on the farm

A digital ag specialist with the University of Illinois Extension says the farm of the future may have an updated “man’s best friend.”

Dennis Bowman says researchers are currently examining the usefulness of robo-dogs on livestock operations.

“With sensors, you could send it out into the pasture to do an inventory of your animals.”  He says, “Even if you’re not there, you could, you know, engage the robot, send it out to the field, and have it scout the herd.  Or you potentially get several of them working together to actually do some herding of the livestock as well.”

He tells Brownfield they’re also investigating potential uses for robo-dogs on row crop farms.

“Nuisance wildlife control. There’s areas of the state where deer can just devastate when you get some of these timber isolated fields.”  He says, “It may not be real practical to keep a dog at a remote field site to scare off geese and deer. But the robo dog, you wouldn’t have to make sure it got food and water as long as you got some electricity to keep it charged.”

Bowman says researchers are examining a wide range of uses of robotics and autonomy in agriculture as a potential answer to the industry’s well-publicized labor shortage.

Bowman recently received the 2025 Illinois Certified Crop Advisor Award for his decades of experience in helping farmers navigate nutrient, soil, and water management, pest management, and crop production.

Brownfield spoke with Bowman at the 2025 Farm Progress Show.

AUDIO: Dennis Bowman – U of I Extension