With changing expectations from consumers, as well as directives from one state legislature, the business of pork farming and production is evolving, and some technology-based solutions are offering ways to ease that transition. California’s Proposition 12 mandates that pigs be allowed some level of free movement within their pen, and some pork producers have begun rebuilding their spaces accordingly. This creates challenges when it comes to managing and identifying individual animals.
Farmers must also contend with the threat of disease and changing consumer demand for visibility into the conditions and health of the animals used to produce their packaged meats. Iowa technology company FarrPro provides radio frequency identification (RFID) and Internet of Things (IoT)-based data to help producers and veterinarians track pigs’ health, behavior and care. The startup offers a solution consisting of its cloud-based Sentry Control Center, a tracker attached to each animal’s ear to capture information, and gateways that receive the sensor data wirelessly.
According to Amos Petersen, FarrPro’s founder and CEO, the solution currently uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity to capture data, though starting in the summer, a passive UHF RFID tag will be included in the same IoT device worn in a pig’s ear, enabling farmers to identify that animal. The system is now being beta-tested by veterinarians, researchers and genetics companies. FarrPro says its solution, known as the Unified Production System, is aimed at raising “happier and healthier pigs.”
The technology is designed to provide near-real-time and historical data about pig behaviors, and it can be used with a producer’s legacy systems, such as feeder-management systems, automatic weighing solutions and inventory-management software. By using BLE technology, producers can capture, store, view and analyze animal health records based on each pig’s movements and temperatures. In that way, managers or veterinarians can detect changes in real time, as well as spot and explore health trends.
How the BLE-based Solution Works
Tracking the identities, treatments and health statuses of millions of pigs from birth to harvesting is traditionally a manual process. For instance, many farms employ workers to visually check all of their animals, writing down any problems on pieces of paper at various points throughout the year, which are then added to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The Sentry system instead captures data continuously and forwards it to a server. Following the beta-testing with BLE, the system is expected to be taken to full launch in June with both BLE and RFID technologies.
A FarrPro Sentry Tracker is applied to each pig’s ear. Petersen likens this to an activity tracker or Fitbit for animals. The battery-powered tag comes with a built-in temperature sensor, an accelerometer and multiple other sensors that can track animal movements. The device monitors the pig’s position, speed and movement frequency, Petersen says, and that data is stored on the tag’s onboard microcontroller, which computes the animal’s behavior at 25 samples per second.
The system comes with the Sentry mobile app so onsite workers can view information about particular locations or specific animals.
The transmission is accomplished via a BLE radio device that transmits to area gateways or dedicated mobile devices, typically every 30 minutes. “It’s constantly looking at what the animal is doing,” Petersen explains, “and then reporting that to the data-logger portion [built into the tracker] that transmits that information up to the cloud.” The gateway or a mobile device forwards the data to the server, where the Sentry Control Center manages that data and identifies any issues and trends in real time.
For instance, if an animal suffers an injury, is losing mobility or is becoming sick, that condition can be detected, either by its movements, its temperature or both. If a sow is ready to be impregnated, changes in her temperature and behavior could indicate that status, and if she were going into labor, that could also be identified by the tracker. Farm managers or veterinarians could then view the collected data on the Sentry Control Center platform. The system comes with the Sentry mobile app so onsite workers can view information about particular locations or specific animals.
UHF RFID Identifies Specific Pigs
Each Sentry Tracker contains a unique ID number that is transmitted along with the pig’s activity data. That ID is linked to a specific animal in the software. However, managers and veterinarians often need to know not only an animal’s condition and identify, but also its location so it can be tracked down and treated accordingly. For example, the system could trigger an alert from a pig’s tracker, indicating it is not getting up as often as is normal. Managers would then need to send a worker into the pen to find that animal and ascertain whether treatment is needed.
BLE beacons provide general location data to pinpoint an animal within a particular zone or barn, but it is not specific in the case of numerous animals. That’s where UHF RFID tags pose a solution, Petersen notes. “RFID use will help complete the picture for animal health work,” he says, adding that such data becomes an important tool when pigs are milling together within an open area. That matters, Petersen explains, as the way in which animals are raised is changing, due in part to Prop 12 in California.
By reducing the use of stalls, and by providing freedom of movement, farmers can create an environment in which pigs can mill around a wider area together.
In 2018, the state passed the new law restricting imports of all pork products to allow pigs some freedom of movement. Under the law, which is now being challenged by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation, pregnant sows must be allowed at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens.
By reducing the use of stalls, and by providing freedom of movement, farmers can create an environment in which pigs can mill around a wider area together. Some farmers are now rebuilding their containment areas to allow for open pen gestation and sometimes farrowing, in which sows would have litters with a lot of other animals. With a handheld RFID reader, farm workers or veterinarians can input the identity of the specific pig they seek, then use the device’s Geiger counter function to find it. With an RFID reader in hand, Petersen says, “You can actually pick an animal out of a crowd.”
Targeting High-Value Animals First
All pigs are not created equal, Petersen reports. Sows produce up to 30 piglets, can be in the system for three years or more, and are the most valued animals in the production chain. Thus, their health is typically watched most closely. Pigs grown for meat have a value that fluctuates with the market but is a fraction of that for sows. With that in mind, FarrPro says it takes a multi-phase go-to-market strategy, with a first phase serving operators of the higher-value animals. That has meant forming partnerships with research and genetics companies that provide high-value sows for producers.
While the technology company is initially targeting these high-value pig companies, it intends to expand its offering down the value pyramid to the large number of meat pigs being raised in the United States. U.S. farms produce approximately 150 million pigs annually. Petersen says the trackers would not be worn by every pig, however. Rather, farmers could apply them to sample members of a group of animals within a single pen.
A tracker is attached to each animal’s ear to capture information, and gateways that receive the sensor data wirelessly.
The benefits from collecting data will expand over time, the company predicts. As a growing number of pigs are tracked, Petersen says, sensor measurements could provide valuable trends data. This could help producers understand which treatments lead to the best health results in their animals, and that information could be shared with other parties if animal identification for the swine industry were to become more stringent.
For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is leading an initiative known as the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan, which is intended to create standards for certifying the health of pigs. Beyond new rules and legislation, Petersen says, other threats to animal health could require further transparency in the future. One threat to pigs is African swine fever, which is almost invariably fatal. The disease led to the loss of about half of all pigs in China in 2019, in fact.
Other Benefits of the Technology
Because the Sentry Tracker includes a temperature sensor, users could receive alerts if a pig were running a fever, and they could view how many other animals, and which ones, had been within range of that pig. Users could leverage the Sentry data to trace meat back to a particular farm, as long as RFID tags were used for the meat after that animal was butchered. Tracking and traceability will help to inspire consumer confidence, Petersen predicts.
Amos Petersen
While consumers are accustomed to viewing granular details about the ingredients in many of their foods as they shop at a store, they lack such details about meat. Their demand for more transparency may put pressure on the industry in the coming years. Data could provide information about the farms on which the animals were raised, their treatment records and the meat’s freshness. However, the primary goal for the solution, the company reports, is that animals will potentially be healthier, since in the event of a problem, farmers will now realize this more quickly and be able to address it.
In addition, the technology could be used in tandem with Near Field Communication (NFC)-based employee tracking for the purpose of task management. FarrPro offers an NFC-enabled coin or badge that workers could scan as they begin working in a pen. Data collected in the software about each worker, as well as the outcomes of the pigs they treat, could improve the quality of services, while also enabling the rewarding or retraining of employees.
Veterinarians could gain benefits by viewing health data remotely, even if they were unable to physically visit a farm. “They’re already spread thin,” Peterson says, adding that the technology “offers a constant window into the health of the herds that they’re serving.” There are standard operating procedures for every producer, he adds, which may vary from one site to another. In fact, some consider their procedures to be their secret to success, so gathering data could help them finetune their practices. “It turns every barn under their care into a laboratory.”
The system is provided on a subscription model. Based on the beta-testing now underway, FarrPro expects to make some hardware adjustments, such as optimizing power use to extend battery life (the batteries currently last for about one year). The company says it also hopes to provide a solution for cattle by the end of 2024.
Key Takeaways:
- FarrPro’s Sentry solution tracks pig conditions and behaviors, and it is initially being tested by producers of high-value swine in the United States.
- The company’s long-term goal is to offer its solution to pig producers with BLE and RFID data, so that farm managers, veterinarians and consumers could gain greater visibility into each animal’s health.