Case Study of Intensive Pig Farming in North China

Inside the finishing pig barn at Hongfa Animal Husbandry in Tangshan, Hebei, thousands of pigs wearing silver-gray smart ear tags move freely between pens. On the control room’s large screen, real-time data curves dynamically update for each pig—displaying body temperature, feed intake, and movement patterns. “Previously, three people managed 1,000 pigs, relying solely on visual inspection for disease screening. Now one person can oversee 3,000 pigs, with the system automatically alerting us to abnormalities,” said Wang Jianguo, the farm manager, pointing to the red warning prompts on the screen. This transformation stems from the implementation of Fenglan Intelligent’s “Digital Pig Farm” solution.
As a leading example of intensive pig farming in North China, Hongfa Livestock produces over 50,000 hogs annually. However, it long struggled with management bottlenecks inherent in traditional farming. “With a fattening pen density of 1.2 pigs per square meter, respiratory diseases frequently erupt during summer heatwaves. A single outbreak in 2023 cost us over 2 million yuan.” Wang Jianguo acknowledged that three major pain points in traditional farming—“delayed manual monitoring, inefficient feed distribution, and difficult disease tracing”—became key constraints to improving the farm’s quality and efficiency. In early 2024, the farm introduced Fenglan Intelligent’s “PigSmart S1” smart ear tags and cloud management platform, becoming a core demonstration case for Tangshan City’s “Smart Agriculture Pilot Project.”
Tailored for the high-density, high-humidity environments of intensive pig farms, Fenglan Intelligent’s custom-developed smart ear tags feature multi-layered technical adaptations. Utilizing dual-mode RFID+NB-IoT communication technology alongside 56 signal repeaters deployed throughout the facility, the system achieves a 99.2% data transmission success rate even within sealed concrete pig barns. The ear tags incorporate high-precision thermistors and triaxial accelerometers, collecting temperature and activity data every 10 minutes with temperature measurement accuracy within ±0.2°C. Designed with low-power algorithms, a single battery supports 18 months of continuous operation, eliminating the hassle of frequent device replacements. Most groundbreaking is its tamper-proof design—utilizing a patented three-pin clasp structure with a 1mm-diameter ear needle. The trauma rate during pig ear attachment is below 0.3%, and removal triggers immediate alerts, effectively preventing data disconnection issues.
“The smart ear tag is the pig’s ‘health sentinel,’” Wang Jianguo explained while opening the disease alert module on the Fenglan Smart Cloud Platform. In July this year, the system analyzed data from 120 fattening pigs—including sudden temperature spikes and reduced activity levels—and issued a 48-hour advance warning of swine flu risk. The technical team immediately adjusted ventilation parameters and administered preventive medication, resulting in only 3 pigs falling ill and losses capped under 10,000 yuan. This achievement stems from Fenglan Intelligent’s AI diagnostic model, trained on over 100,000 clinical pig data points, which accurately identifies early signs of 23 common diseases. Since implementation, disease detection times have been advanced by an average of 72 hours, cure rates have risen from 65% to 91%, and per-pig treatment costs have decreased by 42 yuan.
In precision feeding, Fenglan Intelligent also demonstrates significant technological advantages. Ear-tag-recorded weight growth curves and feeding data undergo cloud platform algorithm analysis to automatically generate personalized feeding plans synchronized to smart feed lines. “Previously, fixed-quantity feeding often left some pigs undernourished or caused feed waste. Now the system dynamically adjusts based on each pen’s average weight, reducing the feed-to-meat ratio from 3.2 to 2.8.” Wang Jianguo calculated that feed costs alone save ¥68 per finishing pig, resulting in annual savings exceeding ¥3.4 million for the entire farm. For breeding stock management, ear tags also monitor sows’ estrus cycles. By analyzing data like sudden increases in activity levels and body temperature fluctuations, the system accurately predicts optimal breeding windows. This has boosted the farm’s breeding success rate from 78% to 93% and shortened the empty period by 15 days. Data traceability and compliance management further elevate Fenglan’s smart solution. Leveraging blockchain technology, the ear tags automatically record and store farming data on the chain, creating comprehensive lifecycle records spanning “birth – disease prevention – feeding – market readiness.” Consumers can scan the traceability code on pork packaging to view the entire rearing process of the corresponding pig. This has boosted the premium for Hongfa Livestock’s high-end pork products by 15%. “Now, when partnering with large supermarkets, they see our digital traceability system and immediately sign annual supply contracts,” Wang Jianguo said with evident excitement.
Within a year of implementation, Fenglan’s intelligent solution delivered significant benefits for Hongfa Livestock: labor costs reduced by 62%, average hog market-ready time shortened by 7 days, and comprehensive profit per pig increased by 210 yuan. At an observation meeting organized by the Tangshan Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, over 20 neighboring pig farms signed contracts on-site.