A University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) research project is taking animal production to the next level, explained Tami Brown-Brandl, professor and Dr. William E. and Eleanor L. Splinter Chair at UNL. In 2020, UNL received a grant of $200,000 toward a swine research project as the winner of Merck Animal Health’s High-Quality Pork award. As a result of the project’s potential, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development is bestowing an additional grant of $100,000 to UNL to further fund the research, Merck said in a release.
The UNL research project, already underway, has the potential to enhance individual animal monitoring and care practices as well as create farm labor efficiencies for the swine industry, the release said.
The research uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology for early disease detection by monitoring individual pig feeding behavior while tracking what the pig eats and drinks. A dashboard is in development that would provide swine producers with real-time insights on an individual animal’s feeding behaviors to help them identify sick animals sooner, the release said.
The goal of the project is to apply the technology to a commercial operation in the U.S. and evaluate its implementation in the farm setting. It also would be applied to a commercial operation outside the U.S. to understand any global implications. The additional funding accelerates the ability to integrate the technology in farms, the release said.
“These grants will help us prepare this technology so it’s closer to implementation,” said Tami Brown-Brandl, Ph.D., professor, Dr. William E. and Eleanor L. Splinter Chair, UNL, said in a release. “We’re taking animal production to the next level. Detecting sick animals sooner means better animal welfare, less antibiotic use, and less impact on the environment. We believe technology can help improve animal health and management decisions while saving the animal caretaker valuable time.”
The project is also using depth-camera images to weigh pigs identified through RFID. A ceiling-mounted camera takes digital depth images of individual pigs while drinking. Data is captured on a continuous basis, and pig weight information is available daily on the dashboard.
“We measure weights daily of individually identified pigs and can determine when they will be ready for market using true estimates of weight, thereby removing all of the guesswork,” Brown-Brandl explained in the release. “This enables producers to sell uniform loads of animals at ideal weights. It will enable packers to specify pigs within a tight weight range to reduce variability in cuts and inform the supply chain of a specified product.”
Merck Animal Health started the High-Quality Pork Award program in 2018 to support the development of new ideas to advance on-farm animal care practices.
“This intersection of RFID tag technology with disease identification and animal weight gain is exciting,” Miquel Collell, D.V.M., global swine technical director for MSD Animal Health, said in the release. “This technology has the potential to provide swine producers with direct benefits both in the early detection of sick animals and in helping them to market uniform animals at ideal weights. We are excited about the future opportunities that connected technologies could offer farmers, producers and veterinarians.”
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