Curious About the 2nd-Generation Broiler Smart Farm

The ‘2nd-generation broiler smart farm’ unveiled on the 26th by the National Institute of Animal Science of the Rural Development Administration. From farmers’ perspective, they will likely wonder whether it can be installed in their poultry houses, how much it will cost, and what the return on investment will be. Accordingly, the Korea Agricultural Technology Newspaper interviewed agricultural researcher Kim Jae-eun (Smart Livestock Environment Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration), who is conducting research related to the 2nd-generation broiler smart farm, and organized points farmers may be curious about in a Q&A format.

-What is the biggest difference from the 1st generation?
“It is the ventilation control method. It is a structure in which a controller is added to the basic controller and an algorithm is applied to change the control method. Basic control operates fans as a reactive response after measuring temperature, but this technology calculates the temperature, the amount of heat emitted by the chickens, and the outside temperature to operate the fans in advance. The system keeps running, but more calculations are added to the control method so that it runs on its own in advance.”

-Electricity use decreased by 35%. What is the principle behind this?
“If you respond after the temperature rises during the day, you have to run 3 fans, but if you circulate the air in advance, running just 1 fan is enough. As the number of operating fans decreases, electricity costs can be reduced.”

-Does the 20.7% reduction in ammonia emissions mean odors decreased by that much?
“It is difficult to view it that way. When measuring, we installed a separate sensor at the outlet to check the total amount, and calculated emissions by multiplying the measured concentration value by the ventilation volume. From an emissions perspective, 20% is certainly a high figure. However, since what people perceive is odor, it is difficult to feel the reduction to the same extent.”

-How was the standard of spreading 0.76kg of litter per 1㎡ at 3 weeks of age determined?
“A rail machine carries rice hulls and travels while spreading litter (rice hulls) through a pipeline. Since the areas that mainly become wet are around the drinking water lines, we chose a method of spreading along those lines. We experimented with several figures to measure how long the effect lasted and the degree of ammonia reduction, and determined the value while also considering that spreading too much would burden farm management. If spread according to this standard, the effect lasts until shipment.”

-From farmers’ perspective, they are curious about when they can recover the investment.
“Based on introduction in one building with 30,000 birds, it was calculated that an annual economic effect of 14.5 million won (6 cycles per year · average shipping weight 1.5kg · feed price 592 won per kg) can be expected. Since the installation cost of the 2nd-generation smart farm is around 80 million to 100 million won, it is estimated that the investment can be recovered in about 6 to 7 years.”

-How was the annual economic effect of 14.5 million won calculated?
“When the 2nd-generation model is introduced, the mortality rate decreases. We calculated three things in total: the increase in shipment volume and shipment payments resulting from reduced mortality, feed cost savings from improved feed efficiency, and reductions in electricity use.”

-In what kinds of poultry houses can it be installed?
“Because the mobile environmental management device moves along the ceiling, it is necessary to determine factors such as the load the structure can withstand when rails are installed. The farm must have scale and a sturdy structure. It is possible for facilities with 30,000 birds or more and an H-beam structure. Also, because data are collected in the poultry house, the farm network must also be well installed.”

-How will the eight sites for the 2027 new technology dissemination project proceed?
“We plan to receive applications for 8 sites nationwide. The budget is 70 million to 80 million won per site, and it is a one-year project. National and local government funds will be invested, so there will be no financial burden on farms. Data collected with farmers’ consent will be used within the platform. The issue of external use of such data is a task to be discussed and resolved later.”

-At what stage is the demonstration in Malaysia?
“Malaysia consumes a large amount of broilers, and we were also exploring export possibilities. We built one 2nd-generation smart farm in Kelantan, Malaysia, and stocking of 30,000 birds is scheduled to begin soon. Depending on the demonstration results, it may be expanded in the future.”

-Can it be expanded to other livestock species such as laying hens or ducks?
“Because rearing methods and facility structures differ by livestock species, it is difficult to apply it as is. I understand that smart farm-related R&D for laying hens is also being carried out in other departments. Ducks also have a somewhat different rearing environment from broilers, so it is difficult to directly graft this onto them.”

-How is the 3rd-generation smart farm being pursued?
“The 1st generation focused on automation, and the 2nd generation on productivity improvement. Going forward, we are conducting research projects set in the direction of environmental management and autonomy. We are promoting joint research to improve poultry-house air quality, enhance energy efficiency, and develop technology for detecting carcasses. We expect the 3rd generation to take about 2 to 3 years.”