Friday, January 31, 2014

Robotic Ranch Hand

Need a robot to feed your horse? A firm in Texas is manufacturing them.

A new livestock feeder, iFEED, is now available. While not exactly a robot, it comes close. This automated feeder is controlled by a timer similar to those on lawn sprinkler systems and can be used to feed horses, hogs or dogs.

If you are going to be gone for days, it would be convenient for your animals to be fed automatically. There’s a robot for that. However, its real purpose is about feeding them properly, so they can utilize all the minerals and nutrients in your feed. The system dispenses livestock feed in small servings as often as the owner desires. That can especially help prevent colic in horses, among other benefits.

Farmers and ranchers are feeling the pinch of the mandate to furnish hospitalization insurance for all employees. Add in an increase in the minimum wage paid to inexperienced, part-time workers and you find these employers scrambling to find ways to cut costs.

As production costs continue to rise, we may see a big demand for robots.


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