** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BEEF CATTLE PRODUCTION, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY COW-CALF PRODUCTION, ACCOUNTS FOR NEARLY HALF OF THE VALUE OF PRODUCTS FROM SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMS IN THE UNITED STATES. INDEED, COW-CALF OPERATIONS WITH LESS THAN 100 COWS ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 90% OF ALL COW-CALF OPERATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE AVERAGE NATIONAL BEEF HERD SIZE IS 44 COWS. COW-CALF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ARE GENERALLY LESS LABOR INTENSIVE THAN OTHER ON-FARM ENTERPRISES, WHICH PROBABLY MAKES THIS PRODUCTION SYSTEM ATTRACTIVE TO MOST SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED PRODUCERS (CASH, 2002). IDENTIFYING EFFICIENT COWS AND IMPLEMENTING HEIFER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES THAT IMPROVE COW LIFETIME EFFICIENCY COULD THEREFORE LARGELY ENHANCE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AND OVERALL SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMS. WE PRESENT AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM WHO RESEARCHES ENERGY METABOLISM, ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, GENETICS, AND ROBOTIC VISION. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A DIGITAL SYSTEM THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES PRODUCTION, ENHANCES FARM PROFITABILITY, AND PROVIDES SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMERS WITH A CLIMATE SMART TOOL TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE BY DETERMINING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN FEED EFFICIENCY OF BEEF COWS USING THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF ANIMAL ENERGETICS AND ADVANCES IN ROBOTIC VISION. THE USE OF COMPUTER-GENERATED SURFACE AREA AND VOLUME DATA WILL ALLOW US IN REAL-TIME TO PREDICT THE METABOLIC NEEDS OF DIFFERENT CLASSES OF CATTLE ACROSS VARIOUS CONTEXTS. OVERALL, THESE DATA WILL HAVE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACTS IN OPTIMIZING ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, NUTRITION AND BREEDING, BECAUSE DIRECT MEASURES OF THE PRIMARY FACTORS THAT DRIVE ANIMAL EFFICIENCY WILL BE USED TO DISCOVER ALL NEW PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED FROM THIS WORK.