By David S. Rosero, Iowa State University

In recent years, the rapid advancement and continuous improvement of Internet-of-Things sensors, edge computing, and artificial intelligence models have been remarkable. We expect that the adoption of these cutting-edge technologies into swine barns will drive substantial improvements in animal health, welfare and performance. These technologies also present potential solutions to the increasing pressure of higher production costs and the limited access to qualified labor.

A plethora of innovative solutions are emerging, proposing to solve a wide range of tasks in swine barns, ranging from simple to complex. These include a wide range of tools, such as environmental and biological sensors for continuous and real-time monitoring, sound and cough monitors, smart tags that track activity and biological metrics of pigs and sows, and mobile applications designed to streamline farm workflows. Additionally, advanced computer vision technologies are been developed for monitoring pig behavior, counting pigs, determining body weight and estimating feed bin levels.

While producers are enthusiastic about the potential benefits of these technologies, the huge number of emerging options can also lead to confusion. Thus, when evaluating the suitability of a technology for a specific application, we suggest taking into account the following key factors:

The complexity of the challenges emerging in the swine industry requires a significant shift from traditional production methods towards the integration of smart solutions. While swine production systems and their biological processes are extremely complex to completely replace human husbandry with technology, we anticipate that the implementation of smart farming systems will augment the farmer’s capabilities by enabling continuous monitoring of complex biological systems and the surrounding environment.