“Digitized” Cows Produce More Milk
Farmers in the Moscow region are deploying smart farming technologies and developing digital tools to monitor herd health.
Russia’s dairy and meat livestock sectors are moving through digital transformation. Producers are deploying smart production technologies for livestock farms, including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics. They focus on automating animal care, ensuring even feed distribution, increasing milk yields, and reducing workload on farm staff.
AI in Dairy Operations
Oleg Khakhunov operates a large dairy enterprise in the Moscow region – SPA(k) Kuzminskiy. The farms are located in the Sergiyevo-Posad district and manage a herd of 2,500 dairy cows. Khakhunov is a second-generation farmer. The business was started by his father in 2000, and he continues the family business.
At the same time, he is changing how the farm operates by digitizing every stage of production. He works alongside his brother, Aleksey Khakhunov, an IT professional. This combination of agricultural expertise and technology is delivering strong results. Today, SPA(k) Kuzminskiy operates some of the most advanced dairy farms in the region.
The farms use several in-house technologies: Potok (voluntary milking robot), Puls (smart collar that detects breeding readiness, reduces the age of first calving, improves insemination efficiency, and tracks herd activity), Arka (AI-based herd management platform), and Arkasha (AI advisory assistant for dairy farms).
All systems are tested on the farm’s own herd. “Introducing robotic milking increases output by more than 10% using the same genetics and feed. Because cows do not wait in holding areas and experience less stress, they produce more milk. The collars also help shorten the insemination cycle,” said Oleg Khakhunov, chairman of SPA(k) Kuzminskiy.
Farmers and Developers Working Together
These solutions are developed by a company owned by the farmers themselves. Oleg and Aleksey Khakhunov founded Maslov Group, named after their grandfather Oleg Maslov, who led a technical college and promoted modern agricultural technologies. The company develops and tests digital solutions for livestock farming. As stated on its website, “We are farmers who have learned to build technology.”
The company collaborates with Moskovskiy fiziko-tekhnicheskiy institut (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) as a partner. For example, technical designs for the products are developed in the institute’s laboratories.
This collaboration improves data quality and product performance. Neural network algorithms are trained on datasets covering 300,000 cows. All solutions are developed domestically and do not depend on foreign vendors.
As a result, a scalable model for digitizing dairy farming in Russia has emerged. The farm’s own deployment shows the system works and acts as proof for further rollout. For example, the Arka platform is already in use at more than 200 farms across Russia.
A New Model for the Industry
With 13 investment projects planned in the dairy sector in the Moscow region between 2026 and 2030, demand for digital technologies will grow, especially solutions that increase productivity without proportionally increasing feed and labor costs. A growing sector requires more efficient production methods. A bundled solution combining sensors, algorithms, platforms, and management tools opens new opportunities for growth.
As a result, IT is becoming an integral part of Russia’s agricultural sector and creates long-term demand for developers building and maintaining solutions. At the same time, agricultural producers are moving into the technology segment, developing their own hardware and software systems and helping build a new industry.
“When I became the head of an agricultural enterprise, I was convinced that we should not be afraid to move away from traditional farming methods and instead adopt modern scientific approaches. After several years, the capabilities of existing solutions reached their limits, which led us to develop our own technologies. This is how innovative solutions for dairy farming emerged from the needs of a real farm,” said Oleg Khakhunov.
In years to come, technologies developed in the Sergiyevo-Posad district are likely to become part of industry standards and the infrastructure of fully integrated smart livestock platforms. Demand for products from smart farms will also grow as the global population continues to increase.
As a result, alongside agricultural products, technology solutions, consulting, and equipment developed in Russia could be in demand in international markets. Russia can export smart livestock technologies, particularly to Central and Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
