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.
农场自主的五个分级
就像重塑汽车行业的自动驾驶分级——只不过这次是栏舍。每一级都朝着同一个目标走：农户定好目标——育肥猪的料肉比、肉鸡舍的成活率、蛋鸡舍的产蛋率——农场自己找办法达到。L1–2 是市面上到处都能买到的自动化——定时器、传感器、环控箱。L3 是 DeepLoop 的看家本领：系统能读懂动物本身，比人眼提前好几天发现问题——几乎没人做到这一点。L4–5 是我们要走到的地方：能自己运转、自己好转、自己越变越好的农场。
看得见的栏舍
摄像头和传感器，数字一超线就报警。我们对接你现在用的品牌——你信得过的设备继续用，我们在上面加功能。
会反应的栏舍
自动化环境控制——通风、环控、饲喂、饮水与加药。已普遍且广泛部署；我们与成熟的环控与设备伙伴集成，而非重新造轮子。
能发现生病的栏舍
体重不对劲、呼吸有杂音、走路瘸、行为不对——比人工巡栏提前数天就能看出来：咬尾刚下口就抓住苗头，啄羽还没传遍整个蛋鸡舍就截住了，呼吸道疾病还没传遍整个鸡群就发现了。这样一来每批死淘能降低，结算时被判废的也更少——这就是一批养得好和养不好的差别。这一点，几乎没别家做到。
会干活的栏舍
巡检、捡死淘、清洁、消毒这些日常体力活，不用再多雇人手。找个好帮手本来就难——到了 L4，你不用再跟人抢工人了。
自己会运转的栏舍
栏舍自己不断学习，动物养得更好，数字也更好看。每一批都教会它一点东西。农户定好目标——料肉比、每公斤成本、福利底线——农场自己找到达到的办法。
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.