Cutting-edge technology at the service of animal production
Technology refers to the collection of tools that eases processes of creation, management and exchange of information

Technology refers to the collection of tools that eases processes of creation, management and exchange information. New systems that help in the problem-solving of complex actions and serve for larger purposes. Such communication improvement has reduced the gap between people around the world; faraway places got closer and the peace of life has increased. Things that used to take hours to complete can nowadays be done in a matter of seconds. The world has become smaller, life is much faster and technological advances have turned out to be an essential part of our lives.
What technologiesare availableto improve production on farms?
We can start bymentioning the diversity ofsoftwareaimed at themanagement of animal production information through which wecan get, for instance, reports on the productivity of a sows farm and analyze the number of births in a specific period. This type of softwarecan be installedorstored in acloud tobe usedand information canbe reviewed from a mobile device or a tablet.
Nowadays data can be capturedvia voice commands or by using electronic readersto locate a sow and check its informationservice, stallion it has been mated with, registered deliveries andtotal piglets born, etc.andpass it to the server through a cable or via bluetooth.
TRAX systems
TRAX systemsdirectly transcribe dataentered manually on a form and send it to an application where they get registered and automatically updated.Its a simple operation: data written with adigital pen on a formis sentto asmartphoneand,from it,it is stored in a server o website.
Recorded data can beupdated and is availablefor analysis from any device with internet access.The fundamental value of TRAX systems is that specific farm data only need tobewritten once.By writing on paper with such device we will have information to improve farm efficiency.
Writing with adigital penis simple, since its built-in microcamera will recordeverything.Once the send box is checked, the pen connects to the assignedsmartphonevia bluetooth and data is instantly uploaded and stored in the selected file, cloud or sever.
During a visit to farms in Brazil,acompany of 400.000 sows took a week to compile the information of only one day despite having specialized software to do so.Withthe use of a data collection device, the information was ready to be analyzed right after its capture.
Electronic earrings
To facilitate the inventory of the herd, the use ofelectronic earringsRadio Frequency Identification systems(RFID) can be a great tool.Withareading stick an inventory of 2.500 sows can be made in only in 2.5 hours. Doing it manually would imply the work of 10 people for two days, with the possibility of reading failuresand animal stress.
Theelectronic earrings help identifying objects at adistance, even if being out of visual reach.The reading stickcan identifyeach individual easily. The detection device emits acoustic and vibration signals once the reading has been taken. Duplicated information can be deleted and it only needs bluetooth or cable to connect with either a scale or a computer. We can preselect and introduce data about specific individuals and the device will warn us when preset parameters change regarding selected animals.
Theelectronic earringcan also be used in anelectronic feeding system.A specific feeder from which a particular sow eats can be monitored to avoid other sows to eat from it. At the same time, each individual feed intake can also be measured.When a sow enters a feeder an antenna picks up a signal from the chip, which is sent to the computer.If the computer recognizes that the sow has not yet received its recommended daily feed intake, the entrance gate closes and feed is dispensed into the feeder for the sow to eat.
The computer offers several options: feedportionscan be adjusted to each individual needs based on their body condition and eating speed;sows can be marked withsprayfor example, for vaccinationand separated from the group for birthing or for medical treatment;and a list can be printed identifying animals that have not taken theirrecommended feed portion.Nutrition lists are one of the most important electronic tools for daily farm management because it allowsfarm personnel toidentify problematic situations. The adjustment of feed portions according to the needs of each animal requires a regular assessment of the optimal status of each sow. For instance, data should be introduced into the system in the middle and at the end of the gestation period.
Test stations for stallions
Test stationsforstallionshave been usedfor some yearstoevaluatefeed efficiency of each individual byanalysing daily weight gain, growth rate and,therefore,having accurate behavioral information of each individual.Nowadays, this technology is commonly used in some commercial farms, where the objective is to evaluate animal behavior in groupsandthe quality of the offered feed.This toolallowsthe possibility of elaborating precise growth curves without disturbing the animals.It also allows to makereal predictionson when animals should be sold and their exact food conversion or,alternatively, tomake comparative tests between two feed types.Evaluation ofanimalweightby cameras.
Animal weight assessmentcan also be done through cameras.Theycapture each animal andthesoftwareidentifies its weight,thus,projectingthe behavior of the group and without theneed for additional handling.
Digital scales
Feed inventory controlcan be done by weighting feed trucks but there areother technologies that allow us tohave inventories directly from the hoppers, throughthe installation ofdigital scales under the silos legs.Theseare directly connected to a software that willrecord every feed input and output.At thesame time, such calculations can be made based on the inventory of animals and predict how long the feed will last in the hopper, and when it will need restocking.This technology can also be programmed to adapt to the different kind of diets required on the farm.
Other feed inventory systems measure the amount of feed and water entering each farm unit and provide real time data to a cell phone or computer, and sending specific alerts when required.
Farm climate monitoring
In addition to control systems for feed and water,climate monitoringis perhaps one of the most extended technologies in poultry and pig production facilities. Computers are programmed to handle the optimal environment for eachanimal species and age, as well as for monitoring CO2 levels and improveair filtration.
Another advantage of usingthis technologyis thatonecan obtainan overview of all farm units.Therefore, improvement actions can be prioritized to the units that need more attention. According all data collected from each farming unit, it is possible to make decisions foscused on animal productivity and health.
Electronic detector of sow heat and early pregnancy
Theelectronic detector for sows in heat and early pregnancy eases the prediction of the optimum date of sow insemination and identifies silent or atypical estrus.This devicehelps detecting early pregnancy 3 to 4 weeks after insemination and the following heat iftheinsemination attempt was not succesful.Birthing date can also be predicted, thus, improving insemination efficiency and farm economic performance.
FarmBiosafety Surveillance System
New advances have been achieved in farm biosafety surveillance. These new tools are based on sophisticatedbiological monitoring systemsthat protect farms from potential disease outbreaks.These devices are able to record all farm visitors in real time.
It is used through anapplicationthat is downloaded to asmartphone, which automatically activates when a visitor crosses the farm perimeter.Thegeofencingsystem remotely establishes a virtual perimeter around the farm using satellite technology. Therefore, individual movements within the premises are automatically registered.There is no physical fence.
Farm staff electronic ID cards
In some farms, staff flow within the production facilities are controlled by the use of electronic ID cards. Hence, unwanted personnel movements are registered within the premises.This electronic card systems can also be programmed to identify the flow of vehicles into and out of the farm.
Adenosine Triphosphate Luminometerfor farm disinfection
Evaluation of farm cleaning and disinfection processes has also made substantial progress in recent years.It is no longer necessary to take samples for an external laboratory to evaluate them since detection technologies such as theluminescencemeter or luminometer are already available.Thisdetection system uses Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bio-luminescence technology.
ATP is present inall animal or plant material, eveninmost food residues, live and dead bacteria, fungi andother microorganisms.This products sampling stripsuse luciferin/luciferase enzymes to produce light,which isproportional to the amount of ATP present in the sample.The reactive sampling strips measure the intensity of light emitted and display the test result in Relative Light Units (RLUs).
Luminometers are used by taking samples from surfaces or water to determine whether RLU results are acceptable or further disinfection procedures are needed.Tests are easy and quick, which allow to take immediate measures when results are not satisfactory such as re-clean and repeating the analysis before the entry of a new animal batch. The use of luminometers help ensuring that farm hygiene management objectives are achieved.
Portable PCR kit
Finally, faced withthe constant threat by a large number of pathogens that currently beleaguer animal production, early diagnosis in farms plays a major role.Withthe Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)portable kit,one can have anaccurate diagnosiswithin hours. Hence, by knowing the exact pathogen affecting a farm it is easier to make the right decision for its treatment. Reagents can be transported at room temperature and theyarelyophilized. Therefore, chances of contamination are reduced.Both their handling and conservation are simple, since they onlyrequire refrigerationand last forup to two years.
Itsuse onlyrequires re-suspending thepalletizingand adding the tempering,obtaining qualitative results in less than 2 hours.This kit is aneasy and efficient way of simultaneous extraction ofDNAandRNAin a single step, obtaining an elution yield of up to 200 袖l.This precharged extracting kitensures minimalhandling, hence facilitating the work of the operator. Extraction can be automated or semi-automated and each sample type has its own extraction protocol tissue, blood, serum, feces, swabs, supernatant of cellular cultures, etc.
Technology will keep advancing in favor of human and animal welfare, with the aim of making production more efficient and generating greater profitability in for animal production businesses.
“We cannot solve problems by thinking in the same way as when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
Dr. scar F. Huertas Alva
scar F. Huertas Alba is a doctor of veterinary medicine. Production consultancy Porcina OH, more than 35 years of experience in the pig sector. LATAM, State of Puebla, Mexico.
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