Transitioning an Enterprise to Reliable Alarm Connectivity

Nutra Tech was faced with the end of the 3G network across their sites. It was only a matter of time before they would have to change their approach to connectivity.

Nutra Tech was monitoring over 40 sites with Sensaphones connected to U.S. Cellular 3G dialers. With the 3G network officially shut down, traditional alarm systems like Sensaphone and Agri-Alert that rely on 3G are unable to trigger alarms, leaving users in the dark.

“Those sites were going to have to expire and we were going to have to use all new cellular programs for them.”

A No Brainer

Andy Kosky, Vice President of Nutra Tech, began looking into an alternative way to get connectivity to their sites and dependable alarms without purchasing all new cellular boxes. After learning more about BarnTalk, Andy says its built-in connectivity and cost-effectiveness made the most sense for their operation.

“We first installed BarnTalk at a multi-barn site to test the range of the connection. Once we put those to the test for 60 days, it was a no-brainer for us, especially with the live capability to check the app.”

Harnessing Real-Time Data

Using an alarm system with built-in connectivity is allowing Nutra Tech to monitor their sites 24/7 from any location, compared to having to call into their old Sensaphones for current alarm thresholds and a report on barn conditions. “We have real-time, real-world access to data.”

Nutra Tech recently installed water meters inside one of their 4-room nurseries. Just two days after getting them set up and running, Andy says they were able to catch an issue with the water pipes before it led to a major loss.

“By Friday, we caught two rooms where the water hose to the feeder blew off. We went from 220 gallons used in 24 hours in one room all the way up to 1,000.”

Andy says Nutra Tech has coupled their newfound visibility from BarnTalk with MetaFarms, allowing them to monitor environmental conditions and alarms alongside Key Performance Indicators, including feed conversion.

By transitioning to a next generation alarm system with built-in connectivity, Nutra Tech is outpacing the rapid changes to rural broadband and keeping their production on the leading-edge.