An Iowan who invented a device to save newborn pigs from being crushed by their mothers was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Matthew Rooda and partner Abraham Espinoza won Farm Bureau’s Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge for their startup business, SwineTech Inc., which makes the device that saves piglets. It’s the third time in four years an Iowa entrepreneur has won the contest. The SwineTech team, led by Rooda and Espinoza, beat three other finalists from across the nation. Their startup business took home a total of $30,000 in prize money, including $15,000 from sponsor John Deere. Over 450 applicants entered the contest. SwineTech uses technology to monitor sows to reduce piglet mortalities in farrowing facilities. The Iowa Farm Bureau mentored the entrepreneurs, who presented their business model in front of a live audience and judges on stage in the IDEAg Trade Show at the recent AFBF convention.
SwineTech, based in Cedar Rapids, designed the device that listens for the distressed squeals of piglets in danger of getting squished. Then it delivers a vibration to get the mother sow moving. In recent months, SwineTech has worked on improving and redesigning the technology. When the system was first invented, the sow wore a belt. Now, it’s a patch applied to the sow’s skin. And rather than shocking the sow immediately, it starts with a vibration. If that doesn’t move the sow, it delivers a mild shock to get her to stand up. “While the strength of the shock has been decreased, it still works,” Rooda says. It used to be comparable to a dog’s shock collar; the patch now delivers a buzz about two-fifths of that strength. SwineTech has raised about $1.3 million from investors and an additional $300,000 in grants. It will open another round of funding later this year. The technology recently finished university tests and is being used by three corporate hog farms, including two of the nation’s biggest pork producers.
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