{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T04:49:06Z","timestamp":1790138946645,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]],"date-time":"2026-04-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775865600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Union\u2014NextGenerationEU, National Recovery and Resilience Plan","award":["J33C24001480009"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["J33C24001480009"]}]},{"award":["J33C24001480009"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["J33C24001480009"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/019w4f821","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Nowtech Solutions S.r.l."}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) tools are increasingly used in dairy production, but their success depends on farmers\u2019 perceptions, needs and investment capacity. This study explores the current use of digital technologies, satisfaction levels and future expectations among Italian dairy farmers. An online questionnaire with 19 questions collected 53 complete responses between May and November 2025. Most of the farms were free-stall Holstein dairy farms located in the Po Valley and managed by relatively young and well-educated farmers, many of whom had a background in animal production. The adoption of PLF tools was widespread: management software (73.6%), automated total mixed ration (TMR) preparation (66.0%), heat stress mitigation systems (62.3%) and collar sensors (52.8%) were the most adopted technologies. Satisfaction with current tools was high, although installation costs and poor system integration were consistently identified as major constraints. Farmers expressed clear priorities for future devices, particularly early diagnosis of health problems, calving, heat, lameness, and feeding and rumination functions. The results suggest that PLF in Italian dairy systems is moving from the adoption phase to that of consolidation. However, improvements in interoperability, affordability and farmer-centred design remain essential to support a wider and more equitable spread of the technology across the sector.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16081170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T07:29:29Z","timestamp":1776065369000},"page":"1170","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Smart Enough? What Italian Farmers Reveal About Dairy Cow Technologies: A Survey Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-6891-3076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Lamanna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum\u2014University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edlira","family":"Muca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Al Dhaid, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Montano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum\u2014University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5757-8514","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Bovo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Petretto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riccardo","family":"Colleluori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum\u2014University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8109-2482","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Formigoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum\u2014University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1642-6722","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Damiano","family":"Cavallini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum\u2014University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lamanna, M., Bovo, M., Bellisola, G., Romanzin, A., and Cavallini, D. 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