Future of Livestock Industry Lies in Smart Livestock Farming
Smart farming systems innovate a pig farm: A data-driven feeding system cuts down feed costs
by approximately 19% and intelligent ventilation systems reduce odour dramatically.
Sejong, 14 February 2024 — On 6 February, Minister SONG Miryung of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs visited a smart pig farm in the city of Pyeongtaek in the province of Gyeonggi.
At the smart farm, Minister Song discussed with young farmers the ways to ensure
that smart livestock farming systems can be more widely supplied.
The farm, named Rose Farm, has an intelligent system that optimizes the amounts of grains,
based on data, by taking into account the growth stages of sows and piglets, and thus reduces
feed costs by approximately 19%, compared to conventional non-smart farms. The farm also
drastically reduces odour through a ventilation system that draws air inside the entire pig house
into a central air duct to vent, as well as through an air washer and other systems.
After observing the intelligent pig farm facilities, Minister Song listened to the diverse opinions
from young farmers, smart system vendors, and officials of the Korea Institute for Animal Products
Quality Evaluation. Young farmers suggested to Minister Song: (1) expansion of the supply of
solutions-centred smart farms, (2) more opportunities for young farmers to learn and experience
smart farming, such as hands-on training, and (3) building of a livestock industry big-data platform
to ensure a wider use of smart equipment and solutions.
Minister Song said: “To make sure that smart livestock farming systems can be more widely supplied
and adopted, we will create success models of livestock farming in the categories of livestock
species breeding and livestock farming practices. We will also continue to provide farmers who
have adopted smart farming systems with more opportunities to learn and experience smart farming.
Song added: “We will make efforts to devise diverse ways to improve regulations to help smart
livestock farms to produce significant outcomes, and we will build a customized support system
to lay the foundation for Korean-style smart livestock farms to enter overseas markets.”