The L1–L5 Levels of Farm Autonomy
The levels of farm autonomy are a five-level scale for livestock farming, modelled on the self-driving levels that reshaped cars. L1–L2 is the automation you can already buy — timers, sensors, climate controllers. L3 is a system that reads the animals themselves and acts on what it sees. L4–L5 is the farm that runs, heals and improves itself. The framework was defined by DeepLoop for pig, broiler and layer production.
Every level answers one question: how much of the daily loop — watch, understand, decide, act, learn — runs without a person in it. The farmer sets the target (FCR on the pig finisher, livability in the broiler house, lay rate in the layer shed); each level up, the farm finds more of the way itself. The scale below is the full framework.
農場自主的五個分級
就像重新定義汽車的自動駕駛分級——只是這次用在牧場上。每一級都朝著同一個目標邁進：農戶設定目標——育肥豬的飼料轉換率、肉雞舍的成活率、蛋雞舍的產蛋率——農場自己找出路。L1–2 是市面上到處買得到的自動化——計時器、感測器、環控箱。L3 是 DeepLoop 的看家本領：一套能讀懂動物本身的系統，比人眼提前好幾天發現問題——這件事幾乎沒人做得到。L4–5 是我們的目標：一座能自己運作、自己修復、自己變好的牧場。
看得到的牧場
攝影機和感測器，數字一超標就響警報。我們對接你原本在用的品牌——讓你留著自己信得過的設備，我們在上面加值。
會反應的牧場
自動化環境控制——通風、環控、飼餵、飲水與投藥。已普遍且廣泛部署；我們與成熟的環控與設備夥伴整合，而非重新造輪子。
能發現生病的牧場
體重異常、呼吸有雜音、走路跛、行為緊張，這些跡象會比人工巡欄提早數天浮現——咬尾爆發在最開始被咬的尾巴出現時就被抓到、啄羽在蔓延整個蛋雞舍之前就被攔下、呼吸道疾病在傳遍肉雞群之前就被抓住。每批死淘率能降低，結算時廢棄的也更少——這就是好週期跟壞週期的差別。這一塊，別人都還沒做到。
會做雜活的牧場
巡欄、撿死淘、清潔、消毒這些日常粗活，不用再多請人就能搞定。好的農場工人本來就難找；到了 L4，你就不用再跟人搶了。
自己會運作的牧場
牧場自己不斷學習，讓動物和數字都越來越好。每一批都能教會它一點東西。農戶設定目標——飼料轉換率、每公斤成本、福利底線——農場自己找出路。
Who defined the levels of farm autonomy?
DeepLoop defined this L1–L5 framework for livestock production, modelled on the SAE levels of driving automation, to give producers a common language for how autonomous a barn actually is.
What level are most farms today?
Most commercial pig and poultry farms operate at L1–L2: timers, sensors and climate controllers that hold setpoints but don't read the animals. L3 systems — which understand the animals themselves — are where DeepLoop operates.
What is needed to move from L2 to L3?
Cameras and software that read the animals — count, weight, behaviour, distribution — plus the loop that turns detections into records and adjustments. No proprietary hardware: standard cameras carry the whole sensing layer.
Is L5 realistic?
L5 — the farm that runs, heals and improves itself — is a direction, not a shipping product. Each level below it delivers value on its own; the point of the scale is knowing where you are and what the next step buys you.