UT Institute of Agriculture Receives Grant to Use AI to Detect Cattle Respiratory Disease

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) has received a grant to quickly identify infectious diseases in cattle using artificial intelligence (AI). The grant was awarded through the AI TechX Seed Fund and will run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The UTIA has partnered with Enterprise Sensor Systems to detect bovine respiratory disease using hyperspectral imaging and advanced machine learning. The technology was initially created by Enterprise Sensor Systems to find viral signatures in human breath, and the grant will help expand its use to create fast, non-invasive, and contactless screening for cattle. The research team is made up of UTIA faculty, enterprise leadership, and subject experts. They plan to use data collected during a 2024 field study at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Spring Hill, Tennessee, to train the AI model to detect disease-specific signatures in bovine breath. “This project strengthens our commitment to delivering breakthrough biosensing tools that protect animal health and food security,” said LtGen John ‘Glad’ Castellaw, USMC (Ret.), CEO of EnSenSys. “It also underscores the importance of university-industry collaboration in transforming AI research into scalable, deployable solutions.” The AI TechX Seed Fund is part of AI Tennessee, which aims to speed up the development and use of artificial intelligence by promoting teamwork between academics and industry. The seed fund supports the creation of research teams that address industrial challenges with AI-driven solutions. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is committed to using innovative technologies to improve animal health and food security. This grant will help them achieve that goal by providing a fast and effective way to detect infectious diseases in cattle. With the support of Enterprise Sensor Systems and the AI TechX Seed Fund, the UTIA is poised to make a significant contribution to the field of animal health and food security.