Technology Takes Center Stage at 2025 Iowa Pork Congress

During one of the country’s biggest pork conferences, a number of new products were revealed, from new production equipment to a new alert system for pork farmers, at the Iowa Pork Congress Jan. 22-23 in Des Moines. These are a few products that you’ll want to consider for your operation.

Agri-Alert Alarm System

Grain and protein technologies company Automated Production (AP) unveiled an update to its Agri-Alert Alarm Systems. 

The new system has the capability of using a cellular network or already-existing farm wifi network to monitor up to eight locations in a barn — all that can be monitored remotely via phone, tablet, or computer through the Agri-Alert web app. AP Connect can also be used to access monitoring, the release said. A data gateway with multiple connectivity options provides reliable monitoring and can serve as an internet access point, enabling connectivity to other products provided by AP.

According to the release, the new system allows users to:

• Set notification preferences and thresholds;
• View real-time conditions;
• Experience lower startup costs compared with other types of alarm systems;
• Not have to worry about improved battery life.

“The all-new Agri-Alert has been upgraded with next-gen 5G connectivity because hog health and producer peace-of-mind matters,” said Tom Kain, AP technical sales manager. “Now, producers can stay connected with what’s happening in their barns, ensuring they’re always in the know and allowing them to correct issues before they get out of control.”

For more information, producers can visit automatedproduction.com or contact an AP dealer.

Centro Control

PigTek is a systems provider for the pork industry and pork producers, with the expressed goal of using technology to “increase feed conversion, reduce energy costs, and establish and maintain a better environment in barns.”

At the pork congress, PigTek showcased two of its newest devices: the Centro Control and PigCentral. Centro Control, a smaller device with a 6.75-inch diagonal touch screen on a military-grade display module — optically bonded for “increased life and brightness.”

The home screen of Centro Control has a built-in QR code for easy at-home setup, and allows users to remotely view and operate the control panel from a mobile device with a live internet connection. In addition, the panel activates a producer’s feed bin boot slide actuators to open the next bin and automatically close the previous one for full clean-out capability.

The device can be pre-configured with PigTek-branded feed delivery and ventilation systems with remote start capabilities, with built-in logs for troubleshooting issues. 

The device fact sheet states Centro has six specific permission levels, allowing farmers to define the level of access for other employees on the farm. Historical data is also stored to see how workability changes over time and provides data for potential changes and repairs.

Chore-Time PigCentral Device

With nine different hardware modules and a number of customizable widgets, PigCentral presents itself as the bigger alternative to Centro Control for larger operations. Much like Centro Control, it has customizable ventilation control and feed control, along with the ability to manually control and adjust fans from the device or on a mobile device. It comes with a mobile app used for “viewing control status, receiving alarm notifications, and viewing the live status of sensors and devices,” according to the release.

Both devices can be found here.

GESTAL Evo Feed System

Jyga Technologies feed systems line GESTAL showcased the Evo feed system at the pork congress: an autonomous, stand-alone feeding system set for nursery, finishing, and gilt development. The system is set up for use in both commercial and research applications — and each stand-alone unit “enables precision feed delivery/blending and prevents residual diet contamination while allowing diet changes from remote access locations.”

In a leaflet for the product, Jyga calls the Evo “is the only system of its kind that can record and manage complex diet changes on an individual unit basis.” This individual unit system minimizes the risk of system malfunction. Remote farm monitoring and pen inventory changes are available through a connected mobile app or a computer.

Diet customization can be done by producers down to the individual pig to adjust dietary concentration and keep up with the changing diets and needs of the animals. This process, the leaflet says, will help with avoiding over-formulation for feed.

More information on the Evo can be found here.