StrongBo Agritech was founded to tackle the growing need for innovation in the beef industry. An industry where tight margins have prevented much technology development and subsequently technology adoption. The solution came from combining state-of-the-art technology with onsite farming practicality.

 

In 2015, the first prototype of the BovineHub was designed and built to address two simple problems: What data do we need? and how can we extract it from the beef production process? For beef farmers around the world, it all boils down to Daily Live Weight-Gain, the ultimate key performance indicator. Up until now, to obtain this information, farmers either guessed by eye, or interpolated with insufficient manual weight readings. Both methods are inaccurate, time consuming and dangerous. 

 

A decision to develop a system to continuously measure individual performance was made and after many prototypes, we had a fully functional automatic weighing platform backed up by data analytic algorithms and a fully functional software architecture. What came next was somewhat unexpected, animal illness identification could be obtained when analyzed by modern AI with astonishing accuracy. Not alone could the system output performance data at an individual level, but could also ID animals who were showing signs of illness.

 

The next three years consisted of further research and development. In 2019, we brought our first system to market in Ireland, and continued to refine the technology. Working with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation we were able to better understand the requirements for genetic progression and observe patterns within animal performances. Ultimately this led to our advanced animal growth prediction system. Which is now known as, BovineHub Analytics. 

 

Irish beef production was not the only applicable market, and in 2020, we began refining the BovineHub to be effective in the much larger North American market. The differences between the two industries are immense. Ownership, financial incentives, hormones, beef prices, genetics, and production facilities to name a few. Regardless of the differences, the problems were the same. Customers from either side of the Atlantic say the same thing, “I don't have enough information”. In late 2020, and working with key customers we had devices onsite in North America feedlots. 

 

Solutions come with challenges, and the harsh environment of a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) presents everything, including remote communications, +/- 40degC, snow & ice, and the abuse an 800kg animal can inflict on a piece of hardware. All to say, this is where the on-site practicality came to play. 

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The next step is a big one! As of early 2021, we are proud to announce our partnership with Dr. Marty Metzger in ON, Canada. Marty had been developing similar technologies for the Ontario Beef Industry. Partnering with Marty has positioned us perfectly to help farmers reduce costs and provide a significant focus on animal welfare. Together we aim to bring our next generation of innovations to the entire livestock industry.

 

The remainder of 2021 and 2022 are promising to be very exciting for the team at StrongBó. Follow us on social media to stay up to date on our journey: