Adoption of technology on hog farms expected to accelerate, says Symposium speaker
By Bruce Cochrane, Farmscape
The CEO of OPTIfarm expects the adoption of technology on livestock operations to accelerate in response to shortages of labor. "Is Technology the Answer for Improved Animal Care?" was one of the speaker sessions at the 45th annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium in Saskatoon last week.
David Speller, the CED of OPTIfarm, says we've got a real divide between the newer and older facilities and we have a difference around the world depending on labour availability, resources and infrastructure but generally farms are becoming quite sophisticated in the use of technology.
”It has been embraced quite well. I think it started from controlling the environments and the companies that were putting computers in to control the air and the temperature and the humidity and it's moved on now to people starting to ask questions, what happens when I'm not there? Maybe we need to put a camera in? So, I think it's becoming well embraced for some particular challenges. The reliability actually, when you look at what we're asking of this technology being on swine or poultry farms or what ever, we ask a lot of it and actually some of it lasts pretty well. So, I think reliability of some things is exceptional and almost overengineered when they engineered it which has proven to be a very good thing,” explained David Speller, CEO of the U.K.’s OPTIfarm, a digital service which uses both artificial intelligence and trained analysts to support farms globally.
“When it comes to usability, there are some fundamental flaws. The focus is on developing the technology to deliver what the technology should do, not so much about the poor person who might have to interact with it. I think we also have to be mindful that a person who wants to own or operate a livestock farm, whether it's swine, chickens, what ever it is, has an aptitude to be emotionally attached and care for their animals. That is a different mindset to someone who loves computers and technology and cables and internet so there is a disconnect. That's not totally the fault of the technology companies,” added Speller, who first purchased a U.K. broiler farm in 2004 before going on to establish a contract farm management company in the U.K.
That's also because we're interacting with people that naturally have a desire to be emotionally attached t the animals rather than the technology.
Speller anticipates higher levels of adoption of technology as it becomes more advanced and as producers look to centralize their management in the face of labor shortages.
The Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium is recognized as one of Canada’s leading pork industry conferences. It attracted nearly 300 producers, industry stakeholders and government representatives from across Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Expert local, national, and international speakers shared the latest information and trends on hog production, animal health and welfare, new technology, and the global outlook for the North American hog industry.
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