Data logging devices have multiple uses in the healthcare, food manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. They can also be used to improve sustainable practices in several agricultural sectors, reducing the ecological impact of farming and improving animal welfare. Here’s an overview of the main applications in which data loggers achieve this.

1) Data loggers in apiculture

Data loggers are used in apiculture (beekeeping), as these devices can help make colony management more precise. Beekeepers place data loggers inside beehives to monitor the hive’s internal temperature. Beehive temperature and humidity affect both the quality of honey and the development of young bees into healthy adults. In areas with volatile weather conditions, therefore, data loggers help beekeepers optimise temperature and humidity to ensure that bees thrive and remain productive throughout the year.

2) Data loggers in truffle farms

Truffles – a type of arboreal mushroom widely enjoyed as a delicacy – are very sensitive to temperature and rainfall. Changing weather patterns are making truffle farming even more challenging in some parts of Europe and are prompting farmers to develop new monitoring and cultivation techniques.

Truffle harvesting can be tricky because not all truffles mature at the same time. Traditionally, growers relied on trained dogs or pigs, whose highly developed sense of smell can detect whether a truffle is mature or not. Data loggers can improve truffle harvesting methods, since they allow farmers to know exactly when to harvest.

3) Data loggers in livestock farming

The livestock industry uses smart technology to improve animal welfare and productivity in many different ways. Data loggers can play an important role in the reproductive management of cattle, for instance.

In this example, cattle fertilisation facilities use data loggers to monitor livestock ovulation cycles, instead of relying on less accurate methods like visual observation. Studies have found that data loggers can help predict birthing time within a 6-hour window, and therefore reduce the chances of calf stillbirth.

The information provided by data loggers can help improve farm operations by ensuring that cattle are bred and delivered at the right time.

4) Data loggers in hatchery breeding management

Artificial incubation and hatching on poultry farms require precise temperature control. Sudden thermal changes or heat damage can negatively affect hatchability and chick quality.

Data loggers can be used in hatchery breeding programmes to prevent these issues and ensure that temperatures are always at the right setting for the chicks. This improves quality of life and also increases the life expectancy of the chicks and the hatchery’s overall profitability.

5) Data loggers in pig farming

Technology can help hog farm managers detect health problems early and make decisions that better promote animal welfare. To that effect, hog farms must have effective ways of gathering both animal and environment-oriented data in real time.

In facilities for pregnant and lactating sows, for instance, high temperatures could indicate disease, stress, and other behavioural issues that could affect a piglet’s wellbeing. Humidity levels must also be stable to prevent fungal contamination and to ensure piglets grow into healthy hogs.

Manual surveillance of pig pens and fields is time and labour intensive, and is always subject to human error. This is why data loggers are handy in pig farming, as they make it easier to monitor temperature and humidity. In turn, this improves animal wellbeing and speeds up rearing time and time to market.

Find out more

At Signatrol, we specialise in manufacturing and supplying the most advanced and reliable data loggers for industry applications, including livestock/pastoral agriculture. Our range of products includes miniature, single-use, and wireless data loggers for a variety of sectors. But we don’t just sell data loggers; we offer comprehensive support with calibration and recalibration services, as well as the secure software needed to read the loggers’ data, free of charge. Please call 01684 299399 to find out more.

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