Protecting Your Assets
Article by Maura Keller
When Jeff Vogel, president of RWV Land & Livestock in Jackson, New Jersey, first considered incorporating security and surveillance cameras on his farm, he was focused on addressing a few key issues – namely, monitoring the health and wellbeing of his livestock, streamlining the process of well checks for cows in labor, and ensuring the security of his buildings and farm assets.
Vogel also wanted to make sure those concerns were met with a high-end solution, but without a complicated user interface found in some of today’s security solutions. That’s why he turned to Dave Fickenscher, founder of Riverwind Surveillance Supply, to formulate a security camera solution that would enable Vogel and his team at RWV Land & Livestock to effectively monitor his farm’s activities.
“Dave has helped us out in so many ways,” Vogel says. “We currently have six Riverwind camera systems on our farm. The first camera we had installed saved my horse’s life when he got trapped in his stall and couldn’t get up. And when we have a mom cow that’s going into labor, it allows us to monitor her status without having to leave our house in the middle of the night. It’s definitely well worth the money.”
With 65 head of cattle, Vogel has worked extensively with the Riverwind team on the best placement of the camera systems throughout his operations. In addition to monitoring the camera images via the internet wherever he may be, Vogel has created a “sports bar” in the lower level of his home, with multiple television screens showcasing the surveillance system’s images simultaneously.
“It’s just a fun way to monitor everything going on our property and with our animals,” Vogel says.
For Fickenscher, learning how his company’s security solutions continuously help cattle producers, farmers, and ranchers streamline their operations, while maintaining the health and welfare of their animals, is what it’s all about.
“The idea for barn security and monitoring systems all started when I was an undercover police officer working in narcotics,” Fickenscher says. This was 1994, and Fickenscher experienced the loss of a horse he owned as a result of the mare going into an early, difficult labor, resulting in the loss of the mare and her foal.
When Fickenscher’s next mare was due, he borrowed the wireless video transmitter that the undercover narcotics unit used to monitor the mare’s condition remotely, as consumer-grade wireless video transmitters were not readily available to purchase, and those that were came with a hefty price tag.
“Using this camera system saved this mare’s life because I was able to intervene during her labor,” Fickenscher says.
In 1997, Fickenscher decided to launch his company and its website, selling barn camera systems based on the equipment used by law enforcement. Building his company, as he simultaneously worked in law enforcement, resulted in him recognizing some of the unique monitoring and security needs of the agricultural industry. Retiring from law enforcement in 2013, Fickenscher now leads the helm of Riverwind Surveillance Supply, growing it into a multi-million dollar company that has proven its worth among producers, both small and large.
“We are a family-operated company that offers solutions for farmers and cattlemen with anywhere from one to three horses, up to 500 head of cattle,” Fickenscher say. “For places with colder climates like Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, our camera systems have proven to be so valuable when it’s too cold outside to have to go out and monitor an animal in labor. Instead of walking out to the barns, they can watch and monitor the well-being of an animal throughout the night from their house. Rather than spot-checking periodically, when you’re watching a cow in labor on video, you can see patterns develop and you can see changes in her behavior and her progress.”
Because the layout of every farm or ranch is different, as are the security and monitoring needs, Fickenscher and his team work closely with each producer to determine the best placement of cameras and to develop the ideal solutions for their needs.
“We’ll jump on an aerial map and determine what exactly the view of the placement of each camera,” Fickenscher says. “There are different ways that we can set up systems, based on the location of barns and if they have line sight of the house, etc. We will sit down and design a proposed monitoring and security plan that will provide the big picture for security purposes.”
In addition to providing camera monitoring systems for the exterior and interior of barns for the purpose of managing animal wellbeing, Riverwind also provides security systems to help producers keep tabs on the security of their property, buildings, machinery, and homestead.
For more information about Riverwind Surveillance Supply, visit www.BarnWatcher.com
