Engineering a Better Farm

Oct 09, 2024

By Lilian Schaer for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

There are many big issues facing the livestock industry, from climate change and emerging diseases to changing societal expectations and an evolving regulatory environment. It’s a topic that Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) is working to tackle on behalf of Ontario’s livestock sector – and the answers require big ideas and new thinking, says Mike McMorris, who just recently retired as the organization’s CEO.

“The issues facing livestock now are bigger and more complex than ever before. It’s not just about better or more efficient production, although that of course is still important, but finding solutions to climate change adaptation or reducing antimicrobial use go beyond the research capacity of a single commodity,” McMorris says.

“We need to involve experts from automation, engineering, computer science and other fields and use their skills and knowledge to support the betterment of the livestock sector,” he adds.

According to McMorris, key to making this happen is fostering cross-sectoral research approaches and building relationships with scientists and experts not traditionally linked to agriculture who can bring new perspectives to the table, like engineering or computer science for example.

This has evolved into the Engineering a Better Farm initiative, with LRIC working to learn what on-farm challenges could be solved with engineering while also starting to make connections with some of Ontario’s engineering schools to introduce them to possibilities offered by the agriculture sector.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.