Severe Labor Shortage: 'Pig Farming' Saved by Relief Pitcher… Raising Pigs with AI Boosts Productivity

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Pig farming, which involves raising and breeding pigs, is one of humanity's oldest food industries and a massive market with a global scale of approximately 1,800 trillion won. However, the industry remains in poor conditions, heavily reliant on human labor and experience.

A domestic startup is leading digital transformation by integrating advanced technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics into pig farming operations. This company, 'M3SEN', envisions the future of livestock innovation beyond just pig farming.

Seo Man-hyung, CEO of M3SEN, is an engineer who spent 25 years developing LiDAR sensors at a specialized industrial automation company, far removed from the livestock industry. However, his life's trajectory changed after meeting 'Cargill,' the world's largest multinational corporation in grains and agricultural products.

When Seo Man-hyeong (CEO) commercialized a ceiling-type LiDAR detection system for subway screen doors, Cargill requested that he measure grain inventory stacked in silos (feed storage towers) ranging from tens to hundreds of tons without contact. At the time, this was a project that major domestic universities and research institutions had failed to complete.

Seo (CEO) applied LiDAR using a 3D scanning method, implementing the world's first laser-based mass measurement device within three months, which initiated collaboration with Cargill. Through this process, he realized there were many problems to solve in the pig farming industry and became convinced of the potential for agricultural AX (artificial intelligence transformation), leading him to found M3SEN.

The company name encapsulates Seo (CEO)'s technological philosophy. 'M' stands for machine learning, a core keyword at the time of founding; '3' represents sensing, data, and thinking (AI); and SEN refers to sensors, the source that generates data. Recently, it has combined actuation (robotics) to complete 'livestock farming where AI works directly.'

Seo (CEO) stated, "Pig farming is the second-largest market after automobiles on a single-item basis." He added, "In Korea, pig farming accounts for 17% of agricultural production value, totaling about 10 trillion won, making it the number one single item. The average revenue per farm is 2 billion won, and the operating profit margin reaches 25%, effectively making it a corporate-style industry."

However, his diagnosis is that pig farming is an '4D industry' even more severe than the 3Ds: difficult (Difficult), dirty (Dirty), dangerous (Dangerous), plus distant from urban areas (Distance).

Seo (CEO) said, "Korean workers have almost disappeared from pig farms, with foreign laborers comprising 80%, yet even they are hard to find." He emphasized, "Since demand is solid but there is no one to manage it, precision breeding and automation based on AI data are not a choice but a matter of survival."

He stressed, "Pigs go through an annual birthing cycle of about three times, giving birth to around 15 piglets each time. Precise management during this process directly translates to productivity." He added, "AI technology capable of real-time analysis of animals with unstructured behavior, mobility, and intelligence is the only key to transforming the backward pig farming industry."

M3SEN's flagship products are 'DeepEyes' and 'DeepScan.' DeepEyes detects the birthing process of pigs in real-time 24 hours a day, automatically measuring newborn births, birthing intervals, standing frequency of sows (pregnant pigs), and feed intake.

Notably, it immediately alerts managers during difficult births or emergency situations involving stillbirths. Seo (CEO) stated, "By having AI guard the birthing golden time that humans cannot watch over all night, we have proven its effect in reducing mortality rates and improving productivity by approximately 12%."

DeepScan uses a single camera moving along ceiling rails to 3D scan the sow's back, measuring 'back angle' and analyzing total fat content and body shape. By automatically adjusting feed intake based on acquired data, it maximizes sow health and the success rate of subsequent pregnancies.

M3SEN has expanded its LINE operations with AI-based pregnancy diagnosis solution 'DeepSonic' and automatic feeder for nursing sows 'DeepFeed.' It is also developing care robots that move newborn piglets to a warming zone using grippers as part of national research projects, building AX across all pig farming processes.

M3SEN's strength lies not only in AI algorithms but in its hardware technology capable of withstanding the extreme environment of livestock barns. It has added on-site-centric details such as applying special coatings to prevent equipment corrosion from ammonia gas and mounting small propellers on camera lenses to prevent flies from landing.

Seo (CEO) said, "No matter how excellent AI is, it is useless without incoming data." He added, "The reliability of devices that generate data is our greatest competitive advantage." He continued, "In the 150th-year history of pig farming, three unresolved challenges remain: birthing detection, sow body shape management, and fattening pig weight and marketability assessment. M3SEN has solved the first two, and we plan to launch a solution for the third by the second half of next year."

Currently, M3SEN's solutions have been deployed in over 150 farms nationwide. Young entrepreneurs in their 30s and 40s who prioritize quality of life gave high marks to this solution that allows them to manage all situations via tablet without entering the farm.

He said, "When I announced seven years ago that we would apply AI to pigs, everyone mocked us." He added, "Through collaboration with Cargill, we raised our profile; 500 Cargill-trading farms became our first references, and by becoming a policy partner of the Rural Development Administration and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, our evaluation changed."

Visible results are also emerging in the global market. Based on strategic alliances with Cargill, M3SEN is pushing for market entry targeting the USA, Vietnam, and Japan first. Proof-of-Concept (PoC) has already been completed in Vietnam and Denmark.

Seo (CEO) stated, "Since breeds are standardized, product versatility is high, and automation demand is significant in countries with high labor costs." He added, "We will enter the market step-by-step, leveraging partnerships with Cargill and global breeding companies as a foundation."

The first goal Seo (CEO) aims to achieve through this business is to transform the structure of the Korean pig farming industry. He said, "The key indicator for Korean pig farming, MSY (marketable pigs per sow per year), stands at 18, which is half the level of Denmark (32). We aim to raise this above average."

Ultimately, the goal is to redefine pig farming as a 'protein conversion' industry rather than just 'breeding.' Seo (CEO) explained, "Pigs are animals that convert grains (carbohydrates) into high-quality protein. We will transform this conversion process into a precision-controlled environment like semiconductor factories to stably supply protein to humanity."

[MoneyToday startup media platform 'Unicorn Factory']