Managing Livestock Production: A Decision Support System for Swine
Farms
A Capstone Project
Presented to the Faculty of
College of Computer Studies
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College,
Bacolod City
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirement for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Information System
Chapter I Introduction
Background of the Study
Domesticated animals have been essential to the rise of human civilizations all over the world and now play a crucial role in human culture, society, and both local and global economies. Domestic livestock has increased the amount of food and nourishment available to people in four different ways: by supplying sources of meat, milk, fertilizer, and pulling plows. This has led to the emergence of human cultures and civilizations (“Encyclopedia of Food and Culture” 2023).
According to Vranken and Berckmans (2017), Farmers today want
trustworthy and reasonably priced technologies to help them accomplish daily management duties in order to ensure precise and continuous monitoring of individual animals at a contemporary livestock farm. Precision livestock farming (PLF) is the monitoring, modeling, and management of animal production using the ideas and methods of process engineering. The only practical approach to help farmers and other participants in the livestock production chain in the near future while still meeting the increased demand for meat seems to be precision livestock farming.
Livestock production plays a significant role in meeting the food
and nutritional needs of the growing global population. Among the various types of livestock, swine farming is considered to be one of the most profitable businesses. The pork industry is an essential source of animal protein and contributes significantly to the agricultural sector’s growth.
G-farm is located at Benares Compound Qpirok Tumpok,
Barangay Blumentritt Murcia. The idea of a farm house came into being exactly 6 years ago. Originally, it was conceived as a vacation house solely intended for recreation and leisure with minimal number of farm animals in it. A year later, inspired by the success stories of a number of hog raisers in the area, the concept of raising pigs started. The company purchased 10 sows and a boar from a reliable farm and from there, six years later, the farm now has approximately 400 heads in its inventory. G- farm attributes its success to God as the letter “G” suggests on its Company name. It is also the first letter of the matriarch’s name “Gloria”. The vision of the Company is to deliver farm to table freshness that every Negrosanon’s can afford. It also envisions to produce quality processed meat for the family to love.
The proponents aims to provide the G-farm with enough
agricultural decision-making ideas, such as farm operation scheduling, thorough operation cost, resource use, and profitability analysis. It is also utilized to strengthen the decision-making capacity of a corporation. It analyzes enormous volumes of data and delivers the best solutions available to a company.
Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study is to determine how
technology may be used to operate the swine farm G-Farm more effectively, sustainably, and profitably. The goal of this research is to offer suggestions on how G-Farm and other swine farms may use technology to boost productivity and satisfy the rising demand for animal protein while maintaining sustainable business practices.
Specifically, the study aims to:
1. determine the peak season of swine and farrow through historical
and real time data;
2. monitor the growth of the swine;
3. generate reports for company’s further improvement;
4. determine the best or high quality feeds using Feed
conversion ratio;
5. test the quality of the system using a standard
evaluation tool;
Scope of the study
This study focuses on how G-farm can use a decision support system to improve swine farming operations. The study will specifically analyze the optimal time for swine and farrow feeding to increase profits, the most effective ways to monitor sales and feed inventory, and the importance of feed conversion ratio (FCR) in maximizing profitability. By providing real-time information, analysis, and recommendations, the decision support system can help G-farm swine farmers make informed decisions to improve productivity and profitability. This study aims to make swine farming more efficient and sustainable. Significance of the Study
The proposed system Managing Livestock Production: A decision
support system for swine farms has the following benefits for several stakeholders, including:
G-farm Owner - The owner plays a critical role in livestock
production decision support for swine farms by ensuring data collection, analysis, decision-making, technology adoption, and communication and education. By embracing decision support systems and technologies, owners can improve pig farm management and animal welfare, while also increasing profitability and reducing environmental impact.
G-farm General Manager - The General Manager in livestock
production decision support for swine farms works together with the employee/worker to develop and implement decision support systems that improve farm management, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. By collaborating and sharing information, these stakeholders can make significant advances in pig farming practices that benefit everyone involved.
G-farm Employees – G-farm Employees and those involved in
livestock production on swine farms aspire to equip them with decision support systems knowledge that can change their work and improve many facets of their roles.
G-farm - The systems is to optimize their operations and
improve efficiency and profitability. By providing real-time data and analysis, a DSS can help farmers make more informed decisions and improve the overall management of their operations. Livestock production decision support for pig farms it can lead to more effective farm management, increased productivity, enhanced animal welfare, reduced environmental impact, and provide a framework for future research and development.
Researchers - The system may aid researchers in improving their
knowledge and insights while creating a system for future studies. Additionally, this would enhance their academic performance and enhance their abilities to develop decision support systems. Future Researchers - Future researchers exploring livestock production decision support systems for a pig farm would benefit from the study that was conducted since it may be utilized as a model or a starting point for creating such systems. Definition of Terms To ensure comprehension and clarity, it is crucial to identify the important terminology used in any research or study. The terms used in the proposed Managing Livestock Production: A Decision support system for pig farms are briefly explained in this section.
Decision support system (Conceptual), a computer program that can
arrange and sort large amounts of data, and that is used to help people in companies and organizations make important decisions based on the data:
(Operational), G-farm staff and those involved in livestock production
on swine farms aspire to equip them with decision support systems and technologies that can change their work and improve many facets of their roles.
Efficient – (Conceptual), performing or functioning in the best
possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: (Retrieve from Merriam Webster)
(Operational), capable of producing desired results especially without
waste (as of time or energy) an efficient worker. efficient machinery.
Feed Conversion ratio(FCR) - (Conceptual), a ratio expressing the
weight of food required to produce a unit gain in the live weight of an animal.
(Operational), The food conversion ratio (FCR) is a measure used in
agriculture and animal husbandry to quantify the efficiency of converting feed or food inputs into animal or livestock products, such as meat, eggs, or milk. It represents the amount of feed or food consumed by an animal relative to the weight gained or the amount of product produced.
Optimize - (conceptually), to make as perfect, effective, or
functional as possible. (Merriam Webster)
(Operational), optimization refers to the ongoing process of staying
up to date with the constantly changing markets. Ensuring your operational processes are efficient while cutting costs and maximizing performance. Peak season – (Conceptual), is "the period of the year when business, traffic, or demand is at its highest level" (source: Oxford Learner's Dictionary).
(Operational), “peak season” is a time of year when retailers, and
especially online retailers, experience a significant increase in sales.
(Operational), a measure of an organization's profit relative to its
expenses. Organizations that are more efficient will realize more profit as a percentage of its expenses than a less-efficient organization, which must spend more to generate the same profit. Enhance Profitability and Drive Digital Acceleration.