December 7, 2020

MSD Animal Health announces 2020 High-Quality Pork - Precision Farming Award recipient

MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., has announced that the 2020 High-Quality Pork - Precision Farming Award has been granted to Tami Brown-Brandl, Ph.D., professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's (US) Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The award, which grants up to US$200,000 towards project implementation with an interested customer in 2021, was created to encourage technological innovation to solve real-world technology challenges in the swine industry.

Dr. Brown-Brandl and her team's project, titled "Next-Generation Grow-Finish Swine Health and Growth Monitoring," validated the efficacy of an innovative radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and depth cameras to monitor feeding/drinking behaviors and weight gain in pigs to accurately detect anomalous events as well as acute and chronic illnesses.

Such data provides critical information in real time that would help a farmer make better pig management intervention decisions, potentially leading to substantial economic benefits for pig producers worldwide. As a result of the study, the monitoring system and other technology solutions will be further developed to improve early illness detection and market weight estimation, ultimately improving precision animal management for the swine industry.

"We are pleased to recognise Dr. Brown-Brandl for her innovative approach to next-generation swine health and growth monitoring, which has the potential to advance pig farming and the health and well-being of swine," said Rika Jolie, DVM, Ph.D., MBA, global swine lead of Merck Animal Health.

"As a company, we strive to extend the range of technological solutions we can provide our customers, so we are proud to offer the High-Quality Pork—Precision Farming Award to help identify science-based technology solutions to industry challenges."

Dr. Brown-Brandl was selected through a competitive process that included a diverse pool of candidates from around the world, including Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and South America.

Entrants presented a wide array of projects, ranging from product convenience to workforce safety and improved animal handling.

- MSD Animal Health