North America

Why Livestock Operations Are Ditching Spreadsheets for BinSentry’s Smart Bin Technology

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 18:32:10 GMT

Animal feed travels a very long and winding supply chain, and up to 70% of the total cost of raising commercial animals is directly tied to the simple task of feeding the herd.

In a world where there are literally cameras and sensors everywhere that are able to measure everything, and artificial intelligence running in the background to make those cameras and sensors “smart,” it just doesn’t make sense to keep animal feed inventories on paper or Excel spreadsheets anymore.

Ben Allen, CEO, BinSentry

(BinSentry)

That’s what BinSentry CEO Ben Allen, who grew up in farming on his families’ Iowa farm outside Ames says, adding: “Too many people are still taking feed inventories the way my grandfather used too.”

His company has been on the animal ag scene for seven years and has grown over 100% annually for each of the past three years, he claims, as large commercial feedlots and multinational processors like Cargill add the companies’ bin monitoring technology to automate the logistics of refilling feed bins. Allen says BinSentry’s tech is capturing imagery 24/7/365 on more than 40,000 feed lots across the U.S. and Canada.

BinSentry recently secured a $50 million Series C investment round, led by the No. 1 growth equity fund in the U.S., Lead Edge Capital. Allen says his company will use the funds to, among other projects, expand its technology and operational reach further into South America and Brazil, where BinSentry has an exclusive distribution agreement with Cargill.

“We install a camera sensor at the top of the bin, it’s solar powered and has cellular connectivity and only takes 15 minutes to install, and we can start getting high accuracy inventory reports throughout the day,” Allen says. “That data goes directly into our software where we do a lot more than just inventory.”

Allen says the company uses the real-time bin monitoring data to run analytics mainly to inform the logistics side of the feed operation, and it can also send preventative maintenance alerts if it sees something happening inside the bin that could potentially be a problem. While not as inherently dangerous as climbing into large grain storage bins in the row crop world, manual monitoring is a laborious and risky task that would be better left to technology components if possible.

A BinSentry sensor on a poultry feed storage structure.

(BinSentry)

“We have been working with AI since the founding of the company, and we use it in a very tactical and operational way,” he explains. “Our consumption forecasts are always updating with our AI algorithms; it’s constantly adjusting to conditions like the biological variables of animals and the weather. We can really dial things in and get precise, so you can take better care of your animals, burn less diesel fuel, and then you need less workers.”

Besides Cargill, BinSentry is also working with Wayne Sanderson Farms, The Hanor Company, and Maple Leaf Foods. The company is moving at a breakneck pace, installing between 2,500 and 3,000 new sensors per 30 days, and it has its own service and maintenance teams to keep systems running and the customers happy.

“Our focus is to scale up now — because we’re growing like crazy,” Allen says. “That’s because we solve real, operational problems and we cut costs immediately. Our customer ROI is high and fast; the only way you grow this quickly (in agriculture) is by solving real problems for real people.

“We’re excited about our progress and excited about what we can do in the future, and that excitement centers around being more efficient within the animal feed supply chain, we feel like that’s a good story, because we’re helping create economic and environmental sustainability.”

You can read more about BinSentry’s funding raise here and learn more about the company at BinSentry.com.

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Mexico, Canada Say They Are "Committed to NAFTA"

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:12:08 GMT

Mexico’s chief NAFTA negotiator and Canada’s top agricultural official say their countries remain committed to completing the North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations, no matter how long that effort may take. listen

Kenneth Smith, who heads NAFTA negotiations on behalf of the Mexican Ministry of Economy, along with Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, addressed the 22^nd World Meat Congress in Dallas on Thursday. The event is hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the International Meat Secretariat.

Smith says the negotiations that started in August have made progress in many areas, with proposals for the tougher issues currently on the negotiating table.

Mexico will first elect a new president in July, a date negotiators were hoping to avoid. Smith explains listen how Mexico’s elections could impact the NAFTA negotiations and the ratification process.

Mexico and Canada consider the recent steel and aluminum tariffs a separate trade issue that will be addressed outside of NAFTA. listen Canada’s MacAulay says NAFTA has been very beneficial for the agricultural sectors of all three countries. (See impacts on the U.S. pork industry here .)

Smith reiterated that complex trade negotiations take time, and will finish when all three sides reach a favorable agreement listen.

Smith and MacAulay were featured speakers at the 2018 World Meat Congress, a gathering of more than 700 international meat industry representatives. Look for more updates from the 2018 World Meat Congress at www.usmef.org . If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Soaring Freight Costs Will Squeeze Traders, Boost Food Prices

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:09 GMT

It’s getting more expensive to transport commodities around the world, threatening to squeeze profits for global traders and raise food prices.

The Baltic Dry Index, a benchmark of shipping rates, surged 73 percent in 2017 to a four-year high because of a slowdown in new bulk freight capacity. More than 85 percent of global trade in grains and oilseeds is transported by dry-bulk carriers, according to Rabobank International.

Higher shipping costs will make agriculture goods from farther away less competitive and could push up food prices, the bank said in a report Monday. The United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization expects the world food bill to be the second-highest on record this year, driven by more expensive freight and rising demand for foodstuffs.

“Higher global freight rates are expected to have an increasing influence on grains and oilseed trade dynamics and trade flows in 2018 as the cost of dry-bulk sea freight increases,” Rabobank said in an emailed statement.

Asia, a major grain importer, will be especially affected because of long distances and reliance on dry-bulk carriers to bring in food staples. Australia’s close position will boost competitiveness in Asian markets, while other suppliers in South America, the U.S. and countries in the Black Sea region face pressure, Rabobank said.

Growth in demand for dry-bulk shippers is likely to surpass supply in the next two years, leading charter rates to rise 10 to 20 percent. Higher oil prices are also making bunker fuel more expensive.

“Importers may also opt to pass the rising freight costs to customers,” Rabobank said. “Consumers should be ready to face increasing food prices.”

Trump Asks for $200B in Infrastructure Spending

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:09:47 GMT

On Monday, the White House unveiled its proposed budget for the country, and President Trump has released his ideas on how to spend $1.5 trillion to improve the nation’s infrastructure, and a shake up in the food stamp program.

The president’s plan is calling for $200 billion to be spent by the federal government in the coming decade, and encourages other levels of government and the private sector to raise their spending on infrastructure.

Learn more about the plan on AgDay above.

Mexico, Canada Say They Are "Committed to NAFTA"

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:08:54 GMT