External threats to effective biosecurity are an ever-present risk on intensive livestock farms. Introducing pathogens onto a farm has detrimental effects on production, risking the health and productivity of animals. Even worse, complete herds can be wiped out when a dangerous pathogen is introduced, which seems to dominate the headlines of our industry media far too often. Luckily, our industry has come a long way over the past several decades with an abundance of innovations available to equip producers with the tools they need to ensure top biosecurity.

One such tool now available is the Flow Pro bin agitation system by Osborne. Flow Pro promotes first in, first out, mass-flow from feed bins. The system reduces – and in most cases eliminates – feed bridging in bulk feed tanks without high frequency vibration or blunt-impact hammering devices. Flow Pro’s gentle rotating agitator, installed in the upper boot/plastic transition of the bin, also prevents clumps or compacted feed from entering feed lines causing plugging issues and out-of-feed events that can add days or even weeks to production.

Exiting buildings to loosen bridged feed with the old fashioned “mallet and muscles” or checking feed lines for blockages caused by other automatic “agitation devices,” has presented itself as a super-threat to biosecurity. This opens up facilities to outside contaminants from which animals have no immunity. Flow Pro virtually eliminates the need for workers to exit barns to ensure feed is flowing and does not add to bin wear-and-tear.

Although there are several other tools available to help address feed bridging issues, such devices can have a negative effect on the bins themselves. High-frequency vibration devices and automatic, impacting hammers can nullify warranties, loosen fasteners, and otherwise cause unnecessary damage.

Flow Pro is the latest innovation in the race to eliminate feed bridging and the old “mallet and muscles” method of loosening feed that has bridged in a bulk feed tank. In the scheme of things, the device is really a simple and small investment to help minimize the risk of introducing external pathogens into an animal facility.

Flow Pro is covered by one or more patents (PAT osborne-ind.com/ip) and is a licensed product of Fat Lump Buster, LLC.