Information means Profit

Pig farmer Robert Park has discovered for himself that better business information leads to better profits.  He has been recording information on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for over a year and this has proved to be a great help in making management decisions on the unit.

Robert uses the PDA on a daily basis and in his own words ‘he would be lost without it.’ The PDA is used to record farrowings, services, weanings, mortality, pig transfers and sow sales and deaths.  

Robert’s enthusiasm is evident, ‘The PDA is much better for records than a notebook.  I can get the information when and where I need it and make a decision on the spot.  For example, when I wean sows I can check their previous performance.  If there has been a pattern of poor litter size or other problems sows can be marked for culling there and then.  It has proven to be a good management tool on the farm.’

The PDA also contains ‘work lists’ and Robert uses this facility to view lists of sows due to be weaned or served.  Sows due to farrow, repeat or due for pregnancy testing can also be listed. Robert find this particularly useful and says ‘in the past when I was using a notebook it took time to find, for example, sows due to pig in a particular week. The PDA is much quicker and more accurate.’

Robert first learned about the benefits of using a PDA from a pig Focus Farmer. He then received his PDA through the “Increasing Access to ICT Scheme.”  Under this scheme Robert has to use the technology in his business and evaluate it as a management tool.  He quickly “got to grips” with the new technology and found it relatively easy to use.

Another major benefit of the PDA is that it links in with the pig recording programme used by Robert.  This programme provides a full analysis of the performance of the breeding and finishing herds.  Useful management information including the number of pigs born alive, pre-weaning mortality, number of pigs produced per sow per year and total feed costs is provided.  It also gives detailed reports on individual sow performance, parity analysis and conception and farrowing rates.  The information recorded on the PDA can be synchronised with the main computer in the office at the press of a button. This eliminates the need to manually transfer all the information onto the computer. In addition to saving time, the risk of making mistakes is also eliminated. Robert’s current challenge is to learn how to make better use of the recording programme to get maximum benefit for himself and his business.

In business, the term “information is power” is so often true.  Information in this case has led to better profits.

Robert Park, pig farmer, demonstrates the PDA to Liz Donnelly Greenmount Campus