Editorial

Lessons from the Swine Innovation Forum

After attending the Swine Innovation Forum at NC State last week, I walked away learning two very important points. Maximizing our productivity and ensuring the health of our porcine friends is a top priority in our industry today. However, the nature of swine health management poses unique and significant challenges that need to be faced.
Breaking the chains of an outdated data management system will be the first crucial steps forward in the swine industry. Thankfully, technological advancements have led to some pretty cool innovative solutions that point us in the right direction!
In today’s digital age, the collection and management of data have become increasingly important, especially in agriculture. However, the farm environment can present its own set of challenges when it comes to data management that other industries may not experience.

  1. Data Collection and Integration: On a farm, data is generated from a lot of different
    sources, such as monitoring devices, equipment sensors, and manual observations.
    Collecting and integrating this data into one centralized location can be a
    time-consuming and complex task. Even manual entry still presents itself as a
    challenge on the farm.
  2. Data Volume and Variety: Farms generate a large amount of data on a daily basis,
    ranging from environmental conditions to animal health records. Managing such a large
    volume and variety of data can be overwhelming. To manage this information includes
    organizing, categorizing, and storing data effectively to ensure easy accessibility and
    retrieval when it is needed.
  3. Data Quality and Accuracy: Accurate data is vital for making informed decisions on the
    farm. However, data quality and accuracy is challenging. Human error, variability in data
    sources, and environmental factors can impact the reliability of collected data. Even
    data entry and recording errors can occur, further compromising the integrity of the
    data.
  4. Connectivity: Many farms are located in remote areas with limited or unreliable internet
    connection. This makes the challenge for real-time data transfer and communication
    with outside stakeholders, such as veterinarians or industry professionals, difficult.
    Implementing a reliable network can be costly and require ongoing maintenance.
  5. Data Security and Privacy: Farms today handle a lot of sensitive data. Ensuring the data
    of our farms is secure and private is crucial to protect our industry against unauthorized
    access, data breaches, or misuse of our records.
  6. Data Analysis: Data alone is not enough for decision-making. Analyzing and
    interpreting data to find meaningful insights and actionable recommendations is a complex and demanding process.
    EveryPig recognizes the challenges faced by farmers in managing their data effectively. As a comprehensive and progressive swine health and production management platform, EveryPig
    offers features that alleviate these challenges:
  7. Streamline Data Collection: EveryPig provides an interface that simplifies data
    collection and integration for farmers. It allows users to enter data directly into the
    platform, eliminating the need for manual paperwork or transferring data across
    different systems.
  8. Centralized Communication: EveryPigs Farmfeed allows pork producers to communicate
    directly with the farms, giving access to everyone on your team who should be privy to
    farm data; from caregivers to field managers to veterinarians. No need to forward text
    messages, emails and messages from phone calls. It’s all there on the Farmfeed.
  9. Data Validation and Quality Control: EveryPig incorporates validation mechanisms to
    ensure data accuracy and quality. Built-in checks and data validation rules help identify
    errors or inconsistencies, reducing the likelihood of incorrect data entry and improving
    the reliability of the collected information.
  10. Offline Functionality: Recognizing the connection challenges faced by our farms today,
    EveryPig offers an offline functionality. Users can record data even without an internet
    connection, and once the connection is restored, the data is automatically synchronized
    with the platform.
  11. Secure Data Storage: EveryPig prioritizes the security and privacy of its users. The
    platform employs industry-standard security protocols including role-based access
    controls, and regular backups to protect farm data from unauthorized access, loss, or
    theft.
    EveryPig brings a game-changing solution to the table for swine health and production
    management. By streamlining the communication, facilitating health monitoring, enabling early
    disease detection, optimizing biosecurity measures, and providing data-driven insights,
    EveryPig empowers professionals in the swine industry to improve pig health and welfare,
    enhance compliance, and drive sustainable growth. Embracing new innovative technologies
    can not only benefit individual farms but also contribute to the advancement of the entire
    swine industry. With EveryPig, the future of swine management is brighter than ever!

Kori Hilsheimer
Customer Success Specialist, EveryPig
Kori@everypig.com

Send this to a friend