Published on Dec. 13, 2018
High Hopes for Hi-Tech Nucleus Barn
In the highly competitive, low margin pork business, staying at the forefront of technology is vital. That was the impetus for the new Bon Accord nucleus barn in Ituna, Saskatchewan, Canada. The 1200 sow farrow-to-finish operation sports the latest in hi-tech features, prompting high hopes for its contribution to the industry.
At the Hypor-owned facility, sows will be on a loose housing and penning system in gestation using the most up to date Electronic Sow Feeders on the market. In the past, most Hypor sows were evaluated for performance based on gestation stall systems. With the new set up, customers can rest assured that sows are selected on a group housing system and, as a result, have a proven ability to thrive in that environment.
Automation is the answer
The Bon Accord operation is a modern enterprise where the majority of the processes executed daily on farm will be automated. In Canada today, and especially where the new facility is located, there is a shortage of labour, and it has proven to be an ongoing issue resulting in difficulties finding workers for our nucleus sites. With new automated processes, we can increase the number of sows assigned to each employee, improve labor efficiency and reduce our labor needs going forward. We can also decrease the physical exertion required of technicians and safeguard not just the pigs’ well-being, but the workers’ as well.
As part of Hypor’s cutting edge approach, pigs will be performance tested using the most contemporary electronic individual feed intake recording feeders to accurately measure (and improve) feed intake and efficiency. And since Hypor is always keeping one eye on the future, the barn will have enough space to test pigs to beyond regular industry market weights, and offer room to go even heavier as needed down the road.
Profit, performance and improvement
From testing to housing to feeding, operations at the new facility are geared to accelerating progress for industry and putting more money in producer pockets through Total System Profitability.
“Hypor is investing in the latest and best technology that will give us tremendous capacity to develop new traits for continuous improvement, delivering the best product possible, and our clients will reap the benefits of that. With the investments made in innovation, we can continue to raise the bar when it comes to producing animals of high performance that will yield more profitability in the pork production chain.”
Given all that it has to offer, it is little wonder that the new Bon Accord facility has generated high expectations, and there’s little doubt that it’s up to the challenge.
