So what’s a company that makes rugged handheld computers doing at a trade show like the Iowa Pork Congress? Well, it turns out that pig farmers are pretty computer savvy—and the inventory tracking and animal management they need to do are ideal applications for rugged handhelds.
A typical commercial pig farm could have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of animals, and farmers not only need to keep track of them all, but they also need to manage medication and feeding regimens. They also have to monitor pregnant sows, along with the birth weights and progress of their piglets.
About half of the software companies that serve this market are offering Windows Mobile versions, and the rest are heading in that direction. They’re also moving toward RFID for tracking individual animals. Plus, since pig farms tend to be smaller than cattle ranches, they can be readily set up with WiFi coverage. That means information collected on the handheld can be sent back to the office in real time.
Of course, when you think of pigs, you often think of mud. Which is why a rugged handheld makes so much sense when you’re working in this kind of environment. And pig farmers are often working outside in bad weather as well.
We didn’t know what to expect at the show, but the people we met in Iowa are definitely interested.
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