TITLE:
Evaluation of Replacement Policies in Sow Farms Using ArenaTM Simulation Software
AUTHORS:
Marco Antonio Montufar Benítez, Luis M. Pla Aragones, Marco A. Serrato Garcia, Oscar Montaño Arango, José Ramón Corona Armenta
KEYWORDS:
Simulation, ARENATM, Farm Management, Sows Replacement
JOURNAL NAME:
Intelligent Control and Automation,
Vol.5 No.3,
August
1,
2014
ABSTRACT:
This paper presents an application of the
simulation of discrete events (SED) using ARENATM in the management
of large-scale breeding farms. The main objective of the simulation model is to
find a policy of replacement, to ensure the best economic performance of a
farm. The only variant analyzed of replacement policy was the number of
cycles set in permanency for a sow in the herd. Considered incomes come from
the sale of piglets and unproductive sows, and costs are due to the feeding of
animals, replacement sows purchases, and the operation expenses of the farm.
For this analysis, the production process was divided into three major stages
called: mating, pregnancy or gestation and lactation. The sow’s movement from
one stage to other was modeled by cycle-dependent transition probabilities.
Considering the daily utility, as response variable, the model shows the best
number of cycles to maintain the sows.