Animal health is top priority for pig farmers. There has been an increased demand for positive pressure ventilation in order to enhance the air quality for the animals, especially in new construction. The Maximus System allows customers to manage facilities designed for positive pressure ventilation with a hot, new software application that brings a highly visual graphic component to assist in handling ventilation remotely and safely. “Our goal is we want people to see the barn like they have never seen it before,” says Wesley Lack, hog sales manager for Maximum Ag Technologies.

The positive pressure software, paired with the Maximus, unlocks an entirely different way for hog producers to see their ventilation system in action. The Maximus System — a centralized controller system — tracks the state of the infrastructure and automates tasks based on personalized established criteria.

The Maximus management system gives users complete control and allows them to monitor all aspects of a ventilation system even from a sunny beach. The software application allows the producer to walk away from the facility with peace of mind because the system can be remotely accessed by a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The ease of use of this software also allows staff to make adjustments instantly and see the results of the tweaks implemented in real-time monitoring. Imagine activating a fan or adjusting temperatures straight from your smartphone. This user-friendly software allows you to do just that!

Monitoring all aspects of a ventilation system was a big hit with the panel members. Joseph Zulovich, New Product Tour panel member and agriculture engineer, says, “The graphical interface really simplifies things. They did a great job making it user-friendly and hiding all the geeky stuff.”

Perhaps the beauty of the software is in the highly visual graphics that easily illustrate exactly what is going on with the ventilation system, in the barn, in real time. Lack explains customers rave about the ease of training staff to the system. The simple touch-screen navigation eliminates confusion and creates a clear picture of the status of the barn for every user. From a user-friendly screen, staff can view amp draw of all fans, and view inlets or curtain position without physical observation. They will know a fan is working and running properly in a positive pressure ventilated system without seeing it with their own eyes. Importantly, parameters can be set for each facility and also for each room within a building. If something is not working properly, the system will automatically warn authorized users remotely. 

Important features to note:
■ graph reference for settings
■ compatible with most popular handheld devices
■ very dependable hardware with five-year warranty
■ multi-room operation
■ i-Novarum compatible (production management solutions)
■ generates all alarms, by text or email
■ current draw and temperature readings of all variable and relay outputs
■ automatic winching for feed and water lines
■ static pressure compensation
■ zone temperature compensation for inlets
■ outside temperature compensation for ventilation
■ bin scales
■ Wi-Fi communication
■ diagnostic menu

Panel members all agree that the Maximus System gets the most out of the standardization of a barn system by minimizing the different type of equipment.

Aaron Lower, panel member and veterinarian, says, “The maintenance side is attractive. Everyone can log in externally, and it will send an alert. With that ventilation style, there is only one type of fan. They only have to carry one style of parts.”

Advanced technology and the latest graphics does come with a price tag. However, Lower says, if a producer is monitoring a sow barn with many different controllers, the cost is proportional, but if the goal is to monitor smaller units, then it may not be a return on investment. Still, the Maximus System does offer the opportunity for a producer to walk away from the barn confidently knowing everything is being monitored closely.

According to Lack, all Maximus controls are custom-made, and can be tailored to smaller systems and still be priced competitively.

For more information about the Maximus System, visit maxagtech.com.