FEED MILLS AND GROWERS WEIGH IN ON FEEDVIEW®
Here is what users are saying about FeedView®
Hog and poultry operations save money by cutting emergency deliveries, reducing the amount of leftover feed, and the vacuuming and landfill charges associated with disposing of wasted feed. Livestock never go a day without feed.
Here is what users are saying about FeedView.®
No More Grunt Work
FeedView® is a solution to simplify feed management for hog and poultry farmers. It uses wireless level sensors that install easily without running power to the bins. A LoRa (long range) antenna integrated into the sensor transmits level measurement data to a gateway that sends the data to the internet. Data is accessed via a FeedView® website.
A Midwest-based hog operation sums up the benefits of simplifying feed inventory nicely, “With FeedView®, I can reorder feed with confidence. We’ve eliminated most delivery emergencies and overfills, all without climbing feed bins… thanks to the wireless level sensors.”
Pays Back in Pennies a Ton
FeedView® pays for itself with a fast return on investment. Over the course of the year, FeedView® averages about 37 cents per ton of feed in added expense for poultry broiler farms and about 45 cents per ton at hog operations. The return on investment is almost immediate with savings from eliminating emergency deliveries. Even greater benefits result from managing feed inventory at close out, as the amount of feed remaining in the bins is minimized. This reduces the amount of wasted feed, virtually eliminates feed vacuuming charges, and the landfill charges for disposal of feed.
Deliveries Changed Drastically
Drivers know ahead of time how much space is remaining in each bin to ensure an entire delivery can be unloaded without overfilling the bins. The feed mill can log into FeedView® to track the farm’s usage and can forecast when the next delivery will be needed based upon historical consumption. With the feed mill tracking inventory, it can get out ahead of production and anticipate the need for ingredients. The feed mill operates more efficiently without unplanned interruptions. Drivers do not need to make unscheduled weekend deliveries.
A Poultry Perspective
FeedView® can be driven by the grower or the feed mill but is best when used collaboratively. A Nebraska poultry feed mill wanted to ensure they had adequate feed produced to serve multiple farm locations. The mill found it is best to manage inventory and delivery schedules by carefully monitoring the barns furthest away from the mill.
When barns are two to three hours away, making timely deliveries can be difficult. By flagging far-away locations, mill personnel can make their jobs less stressful by being able to anticipate when feed will run out. This eliminates emergency and weekend deliveries and makes routing delivery vehicles more cost effective.
One Barn, Three Bins
FeedView® is being used by a poultry operation with three bins supplying each barn to become far more efficient in ordering feed. The farm is a broiler facility with two large barns and six feed bins. There are three feed bins supplying each barn.
FeedView® software can be configured to monitor bins in tandem when two or more bins are supplying feed to a single barn. At this broiler operation, the software tracks all three bins supplying each barn as a group. The total amount of feed is aggregated for the three bins supplying the barn, so now the farm knows when the feed supply to the barn is running low. The software shows how feed levels in each bin decreases as feed is conveyed into the barn yo-yoing between the bins. The software alerts the feed mill before the last bin supplying feed to the barn is empty.
Mill and Farm on the Same Page
The farm and the feed mill always know what is going on and are looking at the same information. They can tie multiple bins to a single barn and FeedView® administrators can create and generate alerts for 24/7 monitoring. The alerts can notify users via text or email when bins are critically low or empty as a single bin or in a tandem. FeedView.
Anticipate Consumption by Hungry Hogs
Consumption of feed can vary by season, such as increasing in cooler weather and falling off in times of excessive heat. The software allows for the number of animals in each barn to be input into the system and record losses and track the use of medicated feed. If desired, that information can be used to estimate average daily feed intake. FeedView® helps to monitor this using ADFI, calculating Average Daily Food Intake. The software graphically displays feed usage and can project the number of days until the bin is empty based upon historical usage and the number of hogs in the barn. Most important is the farm will not run out of feed. Animals never go hungry and will grow at optimum rates.
Problem Locations Pinpointed
Management at a headquarters location used FeedView® to oversee growers and monitor each location. Locations that tend to be late in making orders and running up delivery costs were identified. By using FeedView®, this large hog operation was able to identify problem farms and reduce expenses year-round through additional training.
These are just a few ways that hog and poultry operations are finding FeedView® helpful in cutting expenses and increasing efficiency.
