FeedFlo ready to grow

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This article was published 18/07/2023 (841 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hog and pork production may be one of the largest agri-industries in the province but the perception might be it’s not top of mind when it comes to deploying digital technology.

But that would be wrong to think.

In fact, the Manitoba hog industry had plenty of early adopters of innovative technology.

Casey Forsyth and his team of about 12 staffers at FeedFlo, a two-year-old agtech startup, produce precision feed sensors for large-scale hog and poultry producers and provide real-time monitoring of consumption patterns and can provide early warning signals of signs of illness in the herd.

After incubating in the private sector research and development shop, Norima Consulting, FeedFlo is in the process of commercially launching its feed monitoring system that uses machine learning to provide farmers with real time actionable data.

FeedFlo is selling units right now and it has a number of trials with different hog production operations in Iowa and right here at home in Manitoba.

“We are trying to get a wide array of different types of customers with different types of barns to give us an opportunity to learn as much about them as we can,” said Forsyth. “We feel strongly about not just sending people data but helping them make better decisions.”

The small sensors that can fit in the palm of your hand built in FeedFlo’s Winnipeg shop, attach easily on each feed line inside the barn to accurately monitor how much feed is moving through the system, when feed events occur, and if there are any empty pipe events or system health issues.

With feed being one of producers’ largest costs — along with labour and energy — the ability to accurately monitor outflow can be an important impact on the economics of the operation.

Niverville-based Progressive Group, a 45,000 sow operation, is one of the largest production operations in the country. The company is in the midst of trial of FeedFlo’s operation.

William Gould, the company’s director of business development, was not prepared to endorse the technology just yet, but was emphatic about the importance of technology like this in ensuring that the animals are fed properly.

“There’s negative consequences with under-feeding or over-feeding,” he said. “The more tools at our disposal to make informed decision and to have more visibility is very important and FeedFlo is a tool for that.”

FeedFlo is looking to address both swine and poultry production partly because both use similar feed storage and delivery systems.

In North America there is the potential for about 400,000 FeedFlo sensors that could be deployed. Forsyth said the company is looking to capture about 10 per cent of that market.

Since feed is one of the largest costs for producers – and plays such an important role in the final product – its consumption and impact on health outcomes has a huge impact on operations.

But having said that, there are no undisputed champions in the field… yet.

“It’s shocking how little data producers have right now,” Forsyth said. “Many just have the close out report at the end of maturation for the group of animals growing up in a barn.”

Cam Dahl, the general manager of Manitoba Pork, said he couldn’t comment on the efficacy of FeedFlo, but said there are real advantages for producers to adopt this type of technology.

“For starters, there is the opportunity for greater efficiencies,” he said. “You can optimize feed outflow, waste less and lower your feed bill.”

He said the industry is also very interested in automation, because like so many other sectors these days, labour shortages are a real thing.

And ultimately animal health is the key factor in being able to monitor ever-more closely.

“If you can reduce the number pigs that get sick you’ll have a healthier herd you’ll be able to make more money which is good for everybody,” said Dahl. “The more we can move to monitoring individual animals is a really good thing.”

Earlier this year, FeedFlo received a $1.4-million grant from PrairiesCan’s Job and Growth Fund to finish up the commercialization.

While the hog industry may not have the sex appeal of our general perception of digital technologies, there are important problems to be solved and a big industry at play.

Gould said, “Take a look at what consumers demand of the food system these days. They are increasing and the ability to fulfil those demands requires being cutting edge technology.”

FeedFlo charges an initial fee of about $600 and monthly subscription of $20 per device per month, which works out to about 12 cents per pig, per month.

Forsyth says FeedFlo can add multiple dollars of value per animal, providing a strong return on investment for producers.

And while there are other technology tools out there, he believes the big difference between his company’s offering and others on the market is that others just measure how much feed is in the bin and FeedFlo measures the flow of feed as it travels through the system providing much more precise information.

Especially in the large hog production barns in Manitoba, that kind of precision can mean healthier animals and greater economic returns.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca