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Better Pork
December 2016
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The Schlegels
recently reno-
vated their
2,600-sow
and farrow-
ing facilities,
and these
renovations
included the
first commer-
cial installation of the SowChoice
electronic sow feeder (ESF), a prod-
uct of
Ontario’s Canarm AgSystems.
The SowChoice ESF now serves
part of the Schlegels’ sow popula-
tion. The equipment was attractive-
ly priced, and it came with Curtiss
Littlejohn’s personal guarantee of
close support to help the Schlegels
overcome start-up glitches. There
were a few. (Littlejohn, a former
chair of Ontario Pork, heads Canarm
AgSystems’ sow products division.)
“You cannot do a system like
this without local support,” Adam
Schlegel said. “The scariest part
about moving to an ESF system
from a farmer’s point of view is that
there are pieces of the system that I
cannot fix with a hammer.”
After 18 months, Schlegel has a
stable system that provides daily
rations for 500 sows. The pigs are
divided in two dynamic groups,
meaning sows can move in and
out of the group, with banks of
four feeders in each open-housing
room. Open gates allow a hungry
animal to enter a one-way walk-
through stall that senses her pres-
ence by radio frequency identifica-
tion.
The machine links to computer
records that identify the animal and
her daily feed allotment. If she has
not eaten that day, the machine
extends the feed bowl and starts
dispensing food and water. Mixing
water with feed speeds consump-
tion, Littlejohn said.
The system is sealed and hard-
wired for durability. Wireless
devices are used mainly to locate
individuals for special attention.
Littlejohn emphasizes the farm-
ers’ ability to access and work the
system with wireless tablets and
cellphone devices.
Canarm has taken pains to use
standard electronic components
for ease of maintenance and repair.
The system also has an extension
module which allows it to work
seamlessly with PigCHAMP soft-
ware. (PigCHAMP is a
Farms.comcompany.)
Some of the potential for digital
technology remains commercially
unrealized, Schlegel said. Promising
precision-feeding techniques re-
quires further academic work, and
“traceability is a big deal,” he said.
But it all depends on accurate re-
cords for individual animals. It may
also lead to closer links between
farmers and consumers who may
prefer to purchase meat from pigs
produced by sows raised in groups.
“There’s always a decision about
whether to reinvest and to what
degree,” Schlegel said. “Our opera-
tion has expanded in the last five
years, and it’s all about finding what
the right next piece is to keep the
operation efficient.”
BP
COMPUTERIZED
HOG
BARN
AdamSchlegel highlights his experienceswithelec-
tronic sowfeeders
Adam Schlegel