Sensor technology in piggeries

Making pig farms smart

Developed by the Queensland Government and Australian Pork Limited, this innovation is designed for farmers like you. It’s practical, easy to use, and made to help you improve your piggery’s efficiency and sustainability while putting more money back into your pocket.

Effluent Monitoring for Management Advice System

The Effluent Monitoring for Management Advice System (EMMAs) is a cutting-edge combination of sensors, low-power smart computers, advanced software, and an intuitive web platform. It provides real-time data and insights straight to your smartphone, making it easy to optimise every aspect of your piggery.

By analysing effluent streams in real time, EMMAs measures critical data and gives farmers the tools they need to act:

• measuring slight changes in feed waste to adjust quantities and optimise formulations, EMMAs show where you can save
• surrogate sensor values, estimating the methane potential of effluent, making biogas digesters more productive and effective
• real-time nitrogen readings in your effluent streams to optimise land application practices, reducing waste and supporting environmental outcomes.

The system is user-friendly and built tough to handle the daily demands of farm life. The technology has been tested and refined through multiple prototypes and is now ready to be trialled on commercial farms.

Why EMMAs matter to your farm

If you’re managing a piggery, this technology provides practical, measurable benefits that directly impact your bottom line:

• Feed is your single largest expense, accounting for about 60% of your operating costs. Typical feed waste is around 5%, but lowering this by just 1% could save you around $17,000 every year in a 500-sow piggery.
• By tracking and fine-tuning feed amounts, you’ll save money on inputs while boosting production. While you’re improving efficiency, you’re also reducing waste, which benefits your business and the environment.
• Real-time methane potential predictions help you generate more energy from your piggery’s biogas digesters, making better use of resources and potentially lowering energy costs.
• Knowing how much nitrogen is in your effluent and where to apply it means healthier paddocks and better crop outcomes.

EMMAs not only make managing these key aspects easier but also ensure you can focus on improving your production and profitability rather than spending unnecessary time on guesswork.

Next steps for EMMAs

The EMMAs system is fully developed and ready for trials on commercial farms. It has been tested for robustness to withstand the challenges of everyday farm operations while remaining simple to use, even for those new to AgTech.

And it doesn't stop there; research is already underway on how this technology can be adapted to other agricultural and industrial applications, helping even more producers achieve practical, sustainable results.