Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

While there have been many hurdles to overcome this past year, we know that those who have remained steadfast in the industry are Set for Success.

From disease prevention to meeting compliance with animal confinement regulations, the latest set of challenges certainly continues the tradition of having serious repercussions on the industry.

To reach peak performance productivity, animals need a constant supply of feed. But when that flow of feed is interrupted, it can lead to growth delays, increased mortality, and other health issues - all of which impact feed conversion ratios (FCR).

While the company has always been driven by innovation, 2014-2015 marked a turning point. It was during this time that Ro-Main reinvented itself, embracing modern artificial intelligence - a set of tools previously untapped in livestock farming.

One thing’s for sure: The world needs more Canadian pork. Despite the obviousness of that statement, there are many challenges to getting the product where people want it - where there’s consumer demand.

The past two years have been challenging to say the least. But being in the pork sector has always required facing challenges with innovation and intelligence. The latest round of challenges-from the risk of disease to war in Europe, to regulations that don’t match with the day-to-day life of swine farming-are no different.

The word “triggered” frequently has a negative meaning. Rather than focus on the downsides of being triggered - such as getting furiously angry by images we see on social media - it is time to look forward to being able to act in a positive way when we see a trigger in pig production data.

Researchers have developed an algorithm able to translate a pig’s grunts into an emotional equivalent, which could be used to monitor animal well-being in real-time.