22 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2025 There’s no fudging the figures. At 60 to 70 percent of the total cost of raising an animal, feed is every producer’s biggest expense. To reach peak performance productivity, animals need a constant supply of feed. But when that flow of feed is interrupted, it can lead to growth delays, increased mortality, and other health issues—all of which impact feed conversion ratios (FCR). Or, that’s the thinking, anyway. To date, however, there hasn’t been a clear, definitive correlation between feed outages and higher FCR scores. But now, a new, long-term swine study spearheaded by the agricultural tech firm BinSentry claims to have found the missing link. Fighting for Every Point of FCR So, why all the fuss over FCR in the first place? Why is it such an important benchmark, and how does it impact profitability? According to Jim Moody, the Chief Operating Officer at Hanor, FCR is a critical metric that directly impacts profitability, so much so that people will often fight for fraction-of-a-point improvements. Hanor, headquartered in Enid, Oklahoma, is a premier, world-class leader in pork production with operations in six states and nearly 650 employees. “The way we see it, there are two key components to feed conversion. One is the performance of the pig, and the second is how that feed is actually distributed and managed onsite,” explained Moody. For Hanor specifically, one point of feed conversion per head is worth about $0.30. While it may seem like a small number, consider that Hanor produces around two million pigs annually. “That means just a single point of FCR across our entire system becomes the difference of US$600,000,” pointed out Moody. How Out-of-Feed Events Impact FCR BinSentry’s technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced sensors to create a detailed 3D image of the feed surface inside a bin and capture accurate, real-time inventory data. The company currently monitors tens of thousands of feed bins on swine and poultry operations across North America, a number that’s growing by over 3,000 bins per month. “When we talk about feed outages on a swine or THE CONNECTION Uncovering A long-term swine study finds a missing link between feed outages and feed conversion ratios. Len Kahn, Chief Marketing Officer, BinSentry
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