How can farms automate more processes to free up labor so employees can focus on other areas of production? Second-year Ph.D. student Zack Peppmeier is trying to answer this question by studying ways to develop and apply technologies to assist in the production of swine.
He gave a lightning talk at the recent National Swine Improvement Federation meeting in St. Louis, Mo., about his project under the supervision of Mark Knauer, associate professor and Extension Swine Specialist, and Suzanne Leonard, assistant professor, both of North Carolina State University.
Peppmeier is developing a computer algorithm that can automate the process of capturing backfat and loin depth from ultrasound images.
“The goal is to increase the accuracy of measurements taken and free up labor so workers can focus on other areas. I want to use my knowledge of the swine industry in combination with my current research to help bridge the gap between those developing technologies and the producers using the technologies at the farm level,” Peppmeier says.
Advancement in precision livestock farming opportunities like this is one way Peppmeier hopes to help producers reduce labor needs on the farm while also improving accuracy on some of those measures.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
NSIF Lightning Talks: Top Swine Genetics Students Take the Stage
