From pig data to big data

Danish producer Stovgaard is using a data monitoring system to record real time biological data, including water and feed intake and weights. The team checks the Agrovision dashboard every day for any alarms or issues highlighted in the data curves, so they can take action to handle or correct any problems.

 

Routine weighing of pigs in a few pens serve as sentinel, monitoring for daily weight gain. Graphs showing trends serve as an early warning system and decision support tool.

Employees find the system motivating as performance can be followed while the pigs are alive and, if problems are detected, they can often still handle and correct the issues. Their work implementing the technology has been underway for the past 20 years.

Checking the systems for alarms

Results

Benefits:

• FCR increased by 100g per day
• There was a 5-10% reduction in vet costs
• Piglet mortality reduced by 5-10%
• Variable cost production was 5.8% per kg of meat
• Fixed costs decreased by 3.4%
• There was a total reduction in costs of 5.2%

Costs:

• The initial investment for the monitoring system was €15,000 (€2.5 per pig place)
• Maintenance of the sensors costs €2,000 per year (€0.33 per pig place)
• Software maintenance costs €564 per year (€0.09 per pig place)
• The total cost is €2.92 per pig place

In-pen sensors (weight)

Innovation in practice

Jesper Hansen has a desire to visualise real time productivity using biological parameters. Complete monitoring of feed intake, water intake, performed procedures and traditional farm recordings are presented real time using Agrovision Dashboard system. Routine weighing of pigs in a few pens is the data source for monitoring daily weight gain for the pigs.

Graphs showing trends serve as alarm system (early warning) decision support tool for all sites. When employees start the day, they check the system for alarms and check the curves for obvious issues not detected by the alarm. By detecting errors early they are able to handle the problem and improve/correct the issues at hand.

More about this best practice

To access more information, contact RPIG (Denmark): Claus Hansen