As smart technology in swine production continues to evolve, knowing what tech is worth the investment can be difficult to identify. Implementing new tools into a current management system can also come with feelings of uncertainty, but data and research can help make those decisions easier.
Vaccines are a fundamental tool in swine production, vital for preventing and managing disease. As respiratory disease continues to be a leading cause of mortality in nursery and grow-to-finish operations,1 some producers may look for additional, tech-enabled tools to help close the gap between respiratory disease detection and treatment.
To better supplement disease-monitoring protocols, producers can turn to SOUNDTALKS® powered by FARMERA®, smart barn technology that provides always-on in-barn audio monitoring to detect signs of respiratory disease. Backed by research and proven ROI, SOUNDTALKS utilizes sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence to identify potential health problems in real time.
Management opportunities enabled by SOUNDTALKS
1 . Improve pig performance
Early detection, intervention and treatment of respiratory disease provide the best opportunity to increase pig performance and minimize loss.2–5 Research demonstrates pigs monitored by SOUNDTALKS that received intervention at the earliest-possible alerts had a higher average daily gain than those with alerts five and 10 days later. It was also shown that pigs with the earliest-possible intervention had a decrease in number of treatments.4
2 . Capture long-term ROI
Research has shown there can be a consistent and long-term favorable economic impact through early respiratory disease detection from SOUNDTALKS. A study evaluated a variety of swine production metrics, like finished-pig performance metrics, historical feed ingredient costs, market pig prices and the calculated cost-to-operate of SOUNDTALKS. Results estimated a benefit-to-cost ratio of 6.51, ranging from 3.89 to 11.28.5
3 . Streamline decision-making
When barn managers or veterinarians are faced with a to-do list larger than a day’s worth of work, SOUNDTALKS can help them identify where they should direct their time and attention first. SOUNDTALKS can also give producers the confidence to streamline decision-making with real-time, objective and uninterrupted respiratory health data.
As respiratory disease and labor challenges persist throughout the industry, adding new tools, like in-barn listening with SOUNDTALKS, to existing disease management may help ease the stress related to each.
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