123 Precision Animal Management – The Future of Animal Ag?

Abstract

Abstract Sustainability in today’s animal production is more than economics – considerations need to include environmental concerns, animal well-being, hiring employees, worker safety and satisfaction, careful use of antibiotics, food safety, foreign animal disease, among others. In order to satisfy these pressures and concerns, new approaches should be carefully considered. In-depth evaluations of current animal facilities have and continue to identify new areas to apply technology. Research has shown promising results for implementing technology. The objective of this presentation is to provide an understanding of current and future technologies to help further discussion and develop creative solutions for sustainable animal production systems. Some of the specific areas that will be addressed include group housing systems for sows and grow-finishing swine systems. The development of precision animal management systems will create methods of capturing and utilizing real-time data to aid management decisions. Topics to be considered when developing these systems include sensor selection, method of data capture, and types of data processing. Current technologies that are being used in precision animal management systems include sound, images, and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. The data processing methods for this type of data are continuing to change and improve, ensuring that the end product for precision animal management is information, not data alone. Among application examples will be the evaluation of individual animal data for pig weight, illness detection, and detection of lameness, and the errors associated with different components.