Quantifying economic benefits of sow-herd management information systems using panel data

Economic benefits of management information systems (MIS) in sow farming were quantified by combining data from two survey studies. Panel analysis was conducted through estimation of a mixed-effects model by ordinary least-squares. Effects were analyzed both within farms and over farms at the same time, controlling for self-selection bias and changes over time. Adjusted for other effects in the model, production on farms adopting MIS increased by 0.56 piglets per sow per year, indicating a return on investment of between 220% and 348%. Additional tests and checks indicate that this outcome is robust.