Summit SmartFarms (SSF), a leading provider of human capital and technology integration solutions for protein production in the agriculture industry and Atomation, an Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing and advanced sensor technology company, announced a new multi-year partnership to serve the agricultural industry with smart technology solutions.

Summit SmartFarms is a division of the Bahler Management Group based in Remington, IN. Bahler Management is a leading designer and builder of swine, beef, dairy and egg production facilities through the companies of Summit Engineering and Construction (Remington, IN & Emmetsburg, IA) and Heartland Builders (Columbus, NE). The Atomation partnership equips Summit SmartFarms with smart technology for remote monitoring of equipment, environment, behavior and health data for prescriptive and predictive analytics. This technology provides all levels of the organizational chart visibility to SmartMargin™, (margin otherwise invisible in traditional monitoring systems) and de-risks the producers’ existential threats of margin erosion and alternative proteins.    

The partnership between the two companies improves data collection in the field across a variety of use cases. Atomation devices (Atoms) independently sense their environment, make decisions based upon what they see, and forward information wirelessly to the cloud without recurring connectivity costs. Edge computing technology imbedded in the Atom allows for analytics on site and low bandwidth data packets. Summit SmartFarms Central Managed Finishing Solution takes the information and uses it to provide specific recommendations to the customer.

Anthony Brummel, SSF’s COO and new products engineer, launched the first production application which actively monitors temperatures in large, remote composting fields to ensure optimal bacterial growth. Atoms with external temperature sensors are now monitoring more than 100k tons of compost, and the combined solution provides insight to facility managers of temperature changes critical to certification of premium compost production.

“The genius of the design of the Atomation suite of sensors is their flexibility, simplicity and cost effectiveness,” said Jon Hoek, Summit SmartFarms President. “We needed a solution that would provide multiple types of intelligent monitoring at a price point that makes sense for our customers and Atomation delivers on all levels. Atoms let us sense and process data right at the source and provide us the important information without the noise. Atomation solutions eliminate the barrier to entry for producers in converting unconnected barns to Smartbarns.”

“Remote monitoring in difficult locations remains a crucial initiative for many companies, including those in the agricultural industry,” said Steve Hassell, Atomation’s CEO. “Unfortunately, the complexity and cost of traditional automation systems have created barriers that end up isolating many from the promise of the Internet of Things. We’re smashing through those barriers, working with great customers like Summit SmartFarms by giving them the visibility they need to maximize production.”

Founded in 2019, Summit SmartFarms is focused on providing decision-ready information to production agriculture. SSF is the newest company under the Bahler Group umbrella that also includes FBi Buildings, Summit Livestock, The Aspen Group, and Heartland Builders. As the leading developer of people/staffing resources, they help producers effectively staff remote CAFO units, minimize turnover, and drive bottom-line performance. SSF also equips barns to acquire and synthesize mission-critical data.

Atomation, founded in Tel Aviv and now with headquarters in St. Louis, MO, is a business-to-business solutions company that uses an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) platform and processes to connect existing, in-field, legacy objects and assets to the internet. Focused on making the data gathered by sensors into useful and actionable information, Atomation solves problems differently with affordable and simple solutions that allow businesses to transform operations and optimize their bottom line. Atomate it!®