Today, farmers have access to technology such as the electronic sow feeding (ESF) system that incorporates mixed animal weighing technology aimed at precisely feeding each sow or gilt (identified via radio-frequency identification (RFID) patches) the right amount of feed at the right time.
In the pig farming industry, specifically, technology is transforming how pigs are raised, fed, housed and traded. Automatic livestock processes such as online monitoring of herds and automated feeding are aimed at delivering better animal care, improving efficiencies and boosting productivity and profitability for farmers.
The online trading platform, Trigga, which currently trades in pigs, is aimed at promoting fair exchange and, transparent pricing.Trigga’s Pedja Turanjanin says that young farmers in South Africa are inclined to adopt new technology faster than their older peers. “Technology is an incredible enabler for the industry, but it’s the younger generation who are more willing to experiment with digital and other technological advances. The sweet spot is combining the youth’s tech approach with the older generations experience and wisdom.”He says the online trading platform represents one example of how the younger generation is quicker to adopt new technology. “This generation of farmers sees the benefit of not having to transport their pigs from their farms to the auction venue. They recognise the benefit of not having to rent a pen and then having to transport their pigs back to the farm if they are not sold.””Ultimately, farmers are able to realise better margins and buyers are able to secure better prices when they bid online. We also deal with the logistics, invoicing and credit risk at no cost to the producer who in turn gets paid on time, every time.”Turanjanin believes online trading can give farmers the ability to generate income and develop their farms in a more efficient way. “As disruptors in the market, we believe online trading is the future of agricultural trading”.