An app to increase efficiency in the pig house Danish agriculture has taken a huge step towards being more streamlined with the launch of the app FARMlog. It is a tool to help farmers get a better overview, improve the health situation and increase their efficiency. By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: Mariann Rundstrøm
For many years, Margit Skovbjerg was a breeder of furbearing animals. She had a few farms herself, but she often lacked an overview when she was not present at the farms – especially regarding the health and medication use. “You have to register all the medicine you use due to European legislation. It is often quite a time-consuming process and it can be difficult to keep track of, so I thought why not make a platform to provide a better overview,” Skovbjerg explains. 84 | Issue 89 | June 2016
The result was the app FARMlog, a tool where all registrations are made the moment they take place, thus providing an instantaneous overview of all health aspects. “The app can be downloaded to all your devices and is really simple to use. The idea was to create a tool that wasn’t too complicated and is easily integrated into your workflow. It provides you with an overview of the health situation at your farm, and when you have that overview you are able to optimise
your medication use, thereby securing a more efficient way of doing things,” says Skovbjerg, whose invention earned her a nomination as entrepreneur of the year in Denmark.
Moving on to pigs The app quickly became a success. In fact, not only breeders of furbearing animals could see the potential in the invention. Soon Skovbjerg was getting calls from pig farmers who told her that they needed a tool exactly like hers. There were already management systems on the market, but they often had to be used with terminals or a computer. The pig farmers wanted an app that could make their everyday lives easier.