The Importance of data collection

A recent survey revealed that successful companies (Fortune 500) with high net earnings were those that paid close attention to collecting and analyzing information. These companies invested to update information processing methods by installing modern computers and keeping up with the latest technologies.
Nevertheless, you don’t need to be on the list of Fortune 500 or have the latest and most advanced technologies to harvest the benefits of data. Collecting and analyzing data are activities that can be performed by any company regardless of size, turnover, and technological availability. These activities range from the most basic manual data input on a piece of paper to automated data collection with sensors, from simple plotting of a few data points on an Excel sheet to advanced machine learning models that can predict the trend of a specific performance indicator. It all depends on the user’s willingness to put effort and energy into data and on her/his “thirst” for knowledge that lies behind columns and rows.

The origin of PRIMA and Data collection at the customer level
Firstly, at Hendrix Genetics’ we wanted to offer an additional service to our customers and to the poultry sector in general. One of the core values of the company is to constantly create value for the customer. There are still many producers worldwide, especially in developing countries, collecting flock performance data using pen and paper, piling up an incredible number of sheets that need a lot of storage space. If the producer then, wants to look back at the data of past flocks the process is quite slow, the data cannot be easily shared, and in most cases, the numbers cannot be represented graphically. Not to mention the comparison between actual and standard values. The producer would need to make the comparisons by placing the two documents next to each other and try not to confuse one line with another.
Secondly, as a breeding company, we wanted to offer an accessible alternative to the existing software that populates the market of farm management systems. For large companies it makes sense to invest in the in-house development or adoption of tailor-made software or in digital solutions that assist in collecting and analysing data. For smaller or medium sized companies or those that have limited resources to use third-parties software we have developed PRIMA.
Additionally, Hendrix Genetics is at the forefront to raise awareness on the importance of data collection and analysis at farm level. As a company, we are very experienced in collecting and processing the data we collect from our own breeding candidates, this allows us to improve our genetics with every selection that we perform in the most balanced way, focusing on animal health and wellbeing, sustainability, and profitability for the egg producer.

The Evolution of PRIMA

PRIMA was officially launched back in 2021, as an alternative to more advanced flock management tools. The PRIMA app has been designed to be simple in its use, to work offline, to ensure accurate data collection and have good data visualization.

The first version of PRIMA was minimal but complete and was focused on commercial laying hen flocks only. Data on rearing and laying could be easily inserted and visualized with just a few taps on the screen. It allowed users to input data manually directly on their mobile phones and tablets inside the farmhouses, even offline. Flock data could be easily shared among those with a PRIMA account, enabling technical specialists to be always up to date with flock daily performance indicators.

Since its launch we’ve registered a steady increase in the monthly growth of subscribers to PRIMA. With PRIMA we are targeting fast developing countries, as smartphone adoption increased quickly during recent years and a tool that comes at no cost is well appreciated.

One of the most useful features of the PRIMA app is the production standard visualization. Every PRIMA user can easily and quickly visualize the latest standards, comparing the actual vs. desired flock performance. As the user adoption of the initial PRIMA application has been so successful, we decided to bring PRIMA to the next level and extend its usage to (Grand) Parent Stock producers, and including other poultry farming activities, such as Traditional poultry, Broilers, and Turkeys.

Further Reading: : https://layinghens.hendrix-genetics.com/en/news/improving-flock-results-data-collection/