Feed mills and farms may experience tension when it comes to feed management. While they share a common goal of producing and delivering quality products, inventory management and delivery schedules sometimes falter due to miscommunications.
Weekend deliveries, feed outages, and last-minute orders frustrate feed mills and run up costs for farmers. Technology innovation from BinMaster bridges this gap, allowing feed mills and farmers to work in harmony.
FeedView®, an inventory management solution, combines sensors and software to create a dynamic system that supports both entities in their goals.
Frustration on the Farm
Farmers historically had to climb bins to measure inventory. Manual silo measurements resulted in guesswork, massive spreadsheets, and piles of paperwork. The result? Unreliable inventory data that led to low feed or outage events at the most inopportune times.
BinMaster's FeedView app is a comprehensive feed management solution that combines wireless, battery-powered level sensors with cloud-based, simple-to-use software. It automatically measures bin levels and projects usage using historical consumption rates, helping farmers project outages and know when to schedule deliveries.
Feed Mills Flustered
From the perspective of a mill manager, unscheduled or emergency orders create chaos. When farms run out of feed, mill staff must work overtime to make unscheduled deliveries.
In a rush, the amount of feed in a truck may not fit into the silo, resulting in spills and wasted feed. Mills lose money and charge farmers, creating tension in the relationship.
Feed mills benefit from FeedView, as farmers are better informed about bulk inventory. Farmers also know how much silo capacity remains in order to prevent ordering too much or too little feed. Orders can be placed ahead of time or sent to the mill automatically using a feature within FeedView.
Farmers can also allow visibility permissions to the mill. Mill workers can remotely monitor feed silos on the farm and project feed needs based on historical use. Orders can then be processed and delivered, enabling lean replenishment.
A FeedView Case Study: Two Hours Reduced to 15 Minutes
Thanks to BinMaster’s wireless monitoring systems, one ag operation experienced a reduction in labor from two hours a day to just 15 minutes.
Just two employees managed four barns and eight feed bins, readying more than 5,000 head for market. During this operation, each barn included two feed silos used in tandem. One silo emptied, then pulled material from the second silo. The empty silo was then scheduled for a refill.
Before installing sensors and software, each silo had to be climbed and a tape measure dropped to estimate how much feed was in each silo. Climbing silos, dropping a tape, and recording measurements back in the office could take up to 15 minutes per silo—or about two hours a day. This process had to be done almost every day—rain, snow, or shine.
Measurements were handwritten and manually recorded in a spreadsheet. The amount of feed on hand was then calculated by entering an estimate of the amount of feed remaining in each bin. Some days there just wasn’t enough time to get feed inventory done, which lead to a disconnect between the farm and the mill.
Goodbye Tape Measures, Hello Sensors
The biggest roadblock to automating silo measurements for this producer was that of many other hog farms: no power was available at the feed bins.
The solution? A battery-operated sensor from BinMaster eliminates the need for wiring. Low-power level sensors are mounted on top of the bin through a hole cut in the roof. The sensor is pointed at the feed near the outlet of the bin, automatically measuring feed levels once an hour. Level data is sent through a wireless gateway to FeedView.
FeedView converts the sensor data into tonnage and allows for user-friendly tracking and reporting of feed intake, medicated supplements, headcount adjustments, and feed orders. The farm’s goal was to save time and streamline the ordering process. They found the integration of level sensors and software made their operation more efficient.
“With FeedView, I can reorder feed with confidence. We’ve eliminated most delivery emergencies and overfills, all without climbing feed bins, thanks to the wireless level sensors,” said the operations manager. “Using sensors to measure feed levels in bins saves a lot of time and is far safer than climbing ladders. Plus, the laser sensors are more accurate than a tape measure because they are aimed at a fixed point in the silo.”
Customer-Focused Features
Many of the features built into FeedView were developed based on customer recommendations.
“Some of the great feedback we got from our first customers was to add a feature that allowed them to place a feed order directly with the mill using the software,” stated Scott Hudson, Executive Vice President at BinMaster. “Now farms can view their recent feed orders without having to track them separately. It also allows them to see their order history and plan in advance when the next order needs to be placed.”
FeedView is Feed Mill Friendly
“Customers hate surprises when it comes to their feed inventory,” said Nathan Grube, Regional Vice President for BinMaster. “Now, alerts are sent in advance before feed bin levels get low. They can also look at feed levels anytime and avoid the hassle and extra cost of an emergency or weekend delivery.”
With automation, staff can plan ahead and be notified when it is time to order. Additionally, employees can check feed levels any time of day—even on weekends—from their computer or phone. With FeedView, farms are ordering the right amount of feed and eliminating the hassle of overages.
A Fast Return on Investment
The producer found FeedView provides a quick return on a long-lasting investment by eliminating common pain points. Not running out of feed ensures animals reach their target weight on schedule. Avoiding extra delivery charges when feed is needed right away increases the bottom line. Closing out with less than a half-ton of feed when animals are sent for processing reduces waste and costs.
