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Cameras: another option for pork producers’ technology tool kits

Cameras are all around us. Phones, iPads, computers, Ring doorbells, all have become a part of our everyday lives and it’s difficult to imagine life without them. One Iowa State University faculty member is looking at how cameras in hog barns can help producers recognize sickness and behavior changes.

Joshua Peschel, associate professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering, is conducting research on cyber-agricultural systems that could assist farmers. He said consistent, reliable, accurate, and cost-effective health and behavior understanding of pigs is one of the biggest challenges faced by the swine industry today.

“My research emerges from the critical need for new and innovative tools that expand precision livestock farming for production-scale swine operations,” he said. “My students and I create new technologies, data sets, and computational models for sensing and sensemaking. In other words, we come up with new data sets, using only video, to better manage pigs.”

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How to read EPDs (expected progeny differences)

Video: How to read EPDs (expected progeny differences)

Expected progeny differences (EPDs) may look complicated at first, but they are a practical tool for making informed beef cattle breeding decisions. The bulls or replacement heifers you select today will influence herd performance, productivity and profitability for years to come.

This animated video, produced by the Beef Cattle Research Council, explains how to read and use EPDs in a clear, straightforward way. You’ll learn what the numbers mean, how to interpret them and see a step-by-step example of comparing EPDs between animals to help select genetics that fit your herd goals.