Introduction of Automatic Pig Sorting Technology

One industry advancement to come from the original research by animal scientists and engineers at the Osborne Demonstration Farm was the introduction of automated sorting technology for grow-finish pigs in large groups. In 2002, Osborne introduced its patented Weight Watcher Growth Management System which automatically weighs and sorts animals in large groups so they can be accurately fed diets tailored to their current condition. The Weight Watcher design separates a water pen from two equal feeding pens, each of which are equipped with feeders and two feeding rations. One ration is used to accelerate the growth of lightweight animals and one ration maintains heavyweight animals. As animals move between the water and feeding pens, a stationary weigh scale, the ACCU-ARM Survey Scale, automatically sorts them into their appropriate feeding pen to decrease herd weight variability when the group is ready to market.