BANFF, Alberta, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Iowa based agtech startup FarrPro, Inc. has been awarded the prestigious Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production with its Haven product. The award was presented at the 2020 Banff Pork Seminar to FarrPro's CEO and co-founder, Amos Petersen, by Dr. Ben Willing, University of Alberta, chair of the F. X. Aherne Prize committee.
The prize is named after the late Frank Aherne, an esteemed scholar and major contributor to science-based progress in the Canadian pork industry.
"The Aherne Prize recognizes individuals who have developed either original solutions to pork production challenges or creative uses of known technology," explains Willing. "There is no better place to celebrate industry innovation than the Banff Pork Seminar and we are pleased to acknowledge grassroots inventiveness in the pork industry."
FarrPro's Haven is a heat and light supplementation platform for use in farrowing crates that creates draft free microclimates for two neighboring litters. Its design delivers highly efficient heat energy to piglets and promotes healthy creep behavior while significantly reducing pre-wean mortality and energy use.
"In Iowa we understand the importance of supplemental heat for newborn pigs and recognize that our friends to the north have many of the same environmental challenges we have here," said FarrPro co-founder Chris Hanson. "We are thrilled that the prize committee recognized our Haven as being an innovative solution to an age-old problem in the industry. As we look to expand sales outside of the U.S. the most logical place to go considering climate, proximity, and large number of farrowing operations, is Canada."
The Aherne prize is the first international award, and third award overall, for the Haven having been selected as the National Hog Farmer's 2019 New Product Tour "Producer's Choice" award winner and also selected as one of National Hog Farmer's Top New Products in 2019.
In preparation for additional sales and wider distribution, FarrPro continues to add to its team by recently hiring veteran Des Moines, Iowa businessman Sheldon Ohringer to serve as President. Ohringer has over 30 years of experience in the areas of sales, acquisitions, mergers, IPO's and billion-dollar valuations.
FarrPro currently has Haven units in over 300 commercial farrowing crates in three Midwest states and is now taking orders for new units to be delivered in late February.
For more information: www.farrpro.com
SOURCE FarrPro, Inc.
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