ROBOT SOW MORE HUMANE 

WESTERN FAIR FARM SHOW, LONDON, ONTARIO -- IF YOU THINK ROBOTS HAVE INVADED ONLY THE FACTORY FLOOR, YOU HAVEN'T MET AGNES, THE ROBOTIC SOW.

THIS PROMISES TO BE THE GREATEST DEVELOPMENT IN PORK SINCE THE LASER CUTTER AND BLAST FREEZING. IT WILL GO A LONG WAY TO REDUCING PRODUCTION COSTS, MINIMIZING EARLY LITTER LOSS AND PRODUCING A HEALTHIER PRODUCT. WITH THESE ADVANTAGES, THE VOLUME OF BACON SALES SHOULD INCREASE DUE TO LOWER RETAIL PRICES.

WITH A PROTOTYPE DEVELOPED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH BY ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGIST DR. FRANK HURNIK, THE UNIT WAS UPGRADED TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION BY FARMATIC INC., A SPECIALTY FARM EQUIPMENT COMPANY THAT IS CHANGING THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF FARM PRODUCTION.

AGNES HAS SOME ADVANTAGES OVER MOTHER NATURE'S MODEL. IT'S NO SECRET THAT YOUNG PIGLETS HAVE A TOUGH LIFE. SOME SAY ADULT PIGS ARE SO AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE THEY HAD TO PERFORM THAT WAY WHEN YOUNG TO SURVIVE. MANY LITTERS HAVE PIGLET MORTALITY RATES OF BETWEEN 15 AND 25 PERCENT. THERE ARE VARIOUS CAUSES. MOTHER SOWS OFTEN ROLL OVER AND CRUSH OR SMOTHER THE PIGLETS. ALMOST EVERY LITTER HAS A RUNT WHO GETS PUSHED OUT OF THE FEEDING LINE. SOMETIMES THE MILK RUNS OUT AND OTHER TIMES THE SOW JUST CAN'T PRODUCE. WHEN THAT HAPPENS THEY ALL COULD DIE. OFTEN THE LITTER IS LARGER THAN THE NUMBER OF NIPPLES AVAILABLE. ANOTHER FACTOR IS POST-PARTUM SEPARATION. AFTER DELIVERY SOME SOWS REFUSE TO FEED THE LITTER, HAVE MEAN DISPOSITIONS OR RESORT TO OUTRIGHT KILLING OF THE BABY PIGS. AGNES HAS A FAR MORE PLEASANT TEMPERAMENT.

PICTURE THIS SCENE FROM THE MORE PROFITABLE ROBOTIC SOW-EQUIPPED FARM: BABY PIGLETS SUNNING THEMSELVES UNDER INFRARED HEAT LAMPS ARE SUMMONED BY "MOTHER" AGNES WITH A 'DINNER CALL' GRUNT. THE LIGHT OVER THEIR RESTING DECK GOES OUT AND THE ONE OVER THE NURSING ROBOT, SIMULATING THE SOW'S BODY WARMTH, LIGHTS UP. ONE MINUTE AFTER DINNER CALL, MILK FORMULA CONTAINING ALL THE PROPER INGREDIENTS FOR THAT STAGE OF LIFE FLOWS BY GRAVITY FROM A REFRIGERATED UNIT (HOLDING A 24-HOUR SUPPLY), LOCATED IN THE FEEDING PEN. EN ROUTE THE MILK PASSES THROUGH A THERMAL BATH THAT WARMS IT TO 40.3 DEGREES C. (102.6 F.). IMMEDIATELY ANOTHER FASTER-PACED FEEDING GRUNT SIGNALS FOOD IS AVAILABLE. BECAUSE THESE PRESENT UP TO 16 NIPPLES, NO ONE GETS LEFT OUT. EXTRA SPACE BETWEEN NIPPLES PREVENTS CROWDING. EVERY PIGLET IN THE LITTER OBTAINS REQUIRED NOURISHMENT. AT THE END OF TWO BUSY MINUTES THE NIPPLES SHUT OFF AND RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC FLUSHING.

THE NURSING LIGHT FADES AS THE RESTING DECK LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THE PIGLETS SCURRY TO THE NEW HEAT SOURCE AND FALL ASLEEP UNTIL THE HOURLY FEEDING CYCLE IS RENEWED. ANOTHER LITTER CAN BE FED DURING THE INTERVENING 55 MINUTES. MIXTURE AND VOLUME IS ADJUSTED FROM 15 MILLILITRES (HALF-OUNCE) FOR NEWBORNS TO 50 MILLILITRES (1.75 OUNCES) FOR THREE-WEEK OLDS.

AGNES IS NON-UNION, PERFORMS 24 HOURS A DAY, NEEDS NO REST, EATING BREAKS OR HOLIDAYS AND CAN HANDLE SEVERAL LITTERS SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE ROBOT SOW ADJUSTS FOOD, MEDICINE OR GROWTH STIMULANT CONTENT AUTOMATICALLY, BASED ON THE PIGLETS' GROWTH STAGE. AGNES HAS A ROBUST BODY THAT RESISTS ABUSE BY PIGLETS. SHE ALSO LEAVES NO MESS TO SHOVEL.

THE UNIT OPERATES ON A SAFE 12-VOLT SYSTEM AND INCORPORATES MINIATURE HEAT PUMPS DEVELOPED BY NASA FOR COOLING SATELLITES. THEY ARE ONLY ONE INCH SQUARE AND PERFORM BOTH HEATING AND COOLING FUNCTIONS. GRUNTING SOUNDS ARE DIGITALLY ENCODED ON A MICRO-CHIP AND PROGRAMMED INTO THE CYCLE BY A BUILT-IN MICRO-PROCESSOR.

PIGLETS RAISED BY AGNES ARE REPORTED TO HAVE BETTER DISPOSITIONS. SOME ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGISTS SAY THIS IS BECAUSE ROBOT-REARED PIGLETS NEVER HAVE TO COMPETE FOR NIPPLES OR MILK. BLAIR GORDON, FARMATIC MARKETING MANAGER, SAYS THE ONLY THING THEY HAVEN'T INCORPORATED INTO THE UNITS SO FAR IS AN APPROPRIATE SOW AROMA. I SUGGEST THEY MIGHT AS WELL INCLUDE THAT IN ANY FUTURE DELUXE MODEL THEY MAY BE THINKING OF DEVELOPING.

FOR THE FARMER, PAYBACK DEPENDS ON THE CURRENT SELLING PRICE OF HOGS AND THE COST OF HOG FOOD BUT REPAYMENT TIME FOR A 16-NIPPLE UNIT SHOULD BE BETWEEN ONE AND TWO YEARS, INCLUDING THE HUMAN LABOR FACTOR. TWENTY-ONE DAY WEIGHT GAIN AVERAGES 3.75 KILOGRAMS. THE UNIT COSTS AROUND $8,000 MORE INFORMATION: BLAIR GORDON, MARKETING MANAGER, OR ELISE AMYOT, ROBOTIC SPECIALIST, FARMATIC INC., 45 MEG DRIVE, LONDON, ONTARIO N6E 2V2.

TEL 519/686-7881

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