Technology

At the touch of a button

By Cheyenne Nicholson

Farmers can sit back with their feet up at home and draft cows through an app on their phone while the herd are happily grazing in the paddock out on the farm.

Gone are the days when a cow being manually drafted slips past the drafting gate and runs back to the paddock or someone forgets to enter her number at the shed.

A new cow guidance system from Halter has put an end to all of those hassles. The system, which took a year to make, gives farmers the ability to draft cows in the paddock instead of in the shed, opening up the door to better time efficiency and improved stock management.

Business manager Steve Crowhurst says the reaction has garnered a lot of excitement and the flow-on benefits of the new capability are huge.

“The concept of asking a cow or a small group to come out the paddock for whatever reason is a big time-saving,” Crowhurst says.

“This gives farmers a whole new set of capabilities. Farmers are really amazing at thinking of the most optimal way of managing their farms, so we’re excited to see how farmers are going to use this.”

Through Halter collars, each cow is individually guided. The new guiding system builds off that and enables farmers to select one or a small group of cows on the app and ask those cows to come out of the paddock using vibration and sound cues to get the cows moving forward, left and right.

“We see this being a huge asset during mating; farmers can ask cows to come out of paddock at any time for AB and not have to keep them close to the shed,” he says.

“Calving is another key time we see this being beneficial with drafting out cows that are due to calve soon and get them into a better paddock for calving to help head off potential calving issues.”

Traditional drafting is typically managed via an auto drafting system built into the exit of the cowshed. It’s costly, involves building infrastructure, isn’t foolproof and the system dates quickly. This new drafting system with Halter is all done with the touch of a button on your phone.

“It’s been an incredible 12-months for Halter. We now launch three farms a day for our full commercial rollout and have expanded from the Waikato, including

Halter collars fitted to cows are sent signals such as vibrations and sound cues to get one, two or 20 cows moving to where the farmer wants them to go.

The new in-paddock drafting system from Halter is all done with the touch of a button from your phone.

Canterbury. This new rollout just adds to the excitement,” he says.

Waikato farmer Fraser Hasnip runs a 106ha, 300 cow farm and has been using Halter for about 16-months and says this new feature adds another layer of efficiency to his business. Fraser manages the farm and is in an equity partnership with his parents.

Hasnip’s System 2 farm is traditional twice-a-day milking, with half the herd switching to once-a-day in January to combat the summer dry. A few years ago, the herd sat around 200. Hasnip wanted to grow the herd bigger, but was limited by the infrastructure on-farm that was better suited for 200 cows.

“When we looked at Halter we saw that it would enable us to keep our existing infrastructure and grow our herd. We’ve split the herd into two and it’s working really well. It gave us more flexibility in terms of creating mobs to graze off certain areas of paddocks without spending hours putting up fences,” Hasnip says.

Early on, they started pulling out physical fences to enable them to more efficiently graze the pasture and he is currently aiming for blocks of around 8ha. Since getting Halter, he’s noticed a big increase in pasture utilisation, especially in paddocks where they’ve taken out physical fences.

“It really enables us to utilise the paddock better. Previously some of the physical paddocks weren’t quite the right size and were hard to graze down properly. We’re now able to precisely give the cows what they need,” he says.

While the time savings of shifting cows and setting up breaks has been a huge win, Hasnip says the animal health alerts have been invaluable and ensure that no cow gets lost in the 300-strong herd.

“You can be a lot more proactive on the animal health front, and the new drafting system means it’s even easier. If we get an alert for a cow, we can draft her up to a spot closer to the yards so we can keep tabs on her. We’ve done this a few times already and it’s such a time-saver and makes life easier,” he says.

Hasnip says he’s excited to give the new drafting system a proper test this calving and hopes there will be a positive effect on their number of calving-related health issues.

“Last calving, we used the pause function on the collars and shifted cows that were due to calve onto better pasture to reduce metabolic issues, so this year it will be neat to do that via the app. We like the cows to calve in a paddock with good grass cover and plenty of shelter close to the shed so we can keep an eye on them,” he says.

It is hoped the technology will help pave the way to more levels of individual cow customisation options in

“We now launch three farms a day for our full commercial rollout and have expanded from the Waikato, including Canterbury. This new rollout just adds to the excitement..” Steve Crowhurst

A farmer checks in to make sure his drafted cows are going the right way.

the future. n

AGRICULTURE IS OUR CULTURE

It’s the Pulse of the nation

Mapping animal behavioural patterns

By Sonita Chandar

New tech allows farmers to undertake preventative health measures to boost productivity and increase animal welfare.

Asmall, innovative, smart livestock ear tag that is set to be a game-changer for the agricultural industry has won the Earth Category of the global competition run by Microsoft and netted the inventors US$10,000 for their win.

Developed by Massey University Engineering PhD students and budding entrepreneurs, Tyrel Glass and Baden Parr, ProTag works like a Fitbit and tracks the activity of an animal.

The internet-enabled device clips onto a cow’s ear, allowing farmers to continuously monitor the animal’s health, grazing and breeding habits.

This information is then sent to the cloud and used to predict if the animal is developing an illness.

Machine learning is used to process data from the device’s temperature, movement, and location sensors, helping farmers map animal behavioural patterns and detect the early onset of illnesses in real-time.

This means farmers are able to undertake preventative health measures that reduce vet fees, boost productivity, and increase animal welfare.

The product idea came from a meeting with a young farming couple who were seeking help to invent a smart ear tag that could give them insights into their herd’s health.

Last year, the device made the finals of Microsoft’s global competition, the Imagine Cup. They entered their idea into the Microsoft competition and beat tens of thousands of challengers from across the Asia Pacific regional finals, before making a world shortlist of 12, and then being named the winner of the Earth category.

They then competed against the winners of the education, healthcare and lifestyle categories, which were won by teams from the US, Kenya and Thailand respectively.

The competition brought together student innovators to tackle social issues with technology and has been run by Microsoft for 19 years.

“It was awesome,” Glass says.

“Following that, we received a lot of interest in what we were doing and that led to expansion of our network and raising our seed round.

“Things are full speed ahead now.”

Their agritech startup ProTag has now raised $1 million from investors to fasttrack the development of their smart ear tag sensors, which transmit crucial health and location data to dairy farmers within seconds.

The funds were raised from a variety of sponsors, including Finistere, OurCrowd, Fonterra, Sprout and Callaghan.

The newly raised funds will be used to accelerate the company’s product development and validation in preparation for large-scale trials planned for later this year, with several expressions of interest generated from farmers in Waikato and the South Island.

While the company has its immediate sights on the New Zealand market, where a farmer’s average dairy herd is 440 cows, Ireland and Brazil have been identified as future markets.

Glass says the device is 100 times more power-efficient than other GPS-based devices using bulkier battery packs.

“We see a future where every farmer has detailed information on the health and wellbeing of every animal,” he says.

“The power of remote sensing in animal health is huge and ProTag is the gateway into this data, providing advanced analytics for each animal that can map the whole story of the cow, and at an accessible price point for all farmers.”

“Mastitis, lameness (leg and foot pain), and reproduction issues are the main ailments dairy cattle face. By detecting these early, ProTag paves the way for more sustainable farming and improved animal welfare, fellow co-founder Baden Parr adds.

Associate Professor in Computer Engineering and PhD supervisor of Glass and Parr, Fakhrul Alam says the students have created potentially game-changing technology for the agritech industry.

“Their engineering smarts, combining cutting-edge remote sensing technology and artificial intelligence, will bring crucial insights to dairy farmers,” Alam says. n

Massey University PhD students and ProTag developers Tyrel Glass and Baden Parr have won the Earth category in the finals of the Microsoft global competition the Imagine Cup for their smart ear tag.

Put your best tech forward

By Sonita Chandar

A strategy to showcase all the latest and greatest developments and innovations in the tech sector, as well as the people who work in it, has grown rapidly.

The technology and innovations sectors in New Zealand are growing rapidly with new ideas and products being developed at pace.

Techweek22 is a nationwide series of events, showcasing and celebrating NZ innovation and provides a platform where people can meet, share ideas and create connections to enhance the future world.

Created by NZTech and the Hi-Tech Trust in 2012 to coincide with the Hi-Tech Awards, the event aims to build enthusiasm around new technologies being developed in NZ. Since then it has grown from several events to a high of 562 events in 2019, during which 46,000 people attended online. This dropped in 2020 and 2021 due to covid.

“Covid has not affected development – it has grown especially in the tech sector and within the events and pushed more knowledge to online and what else everyone can offer. A lot of new startups have started over this period,” a spokesperson for the week says.

Techweek22 will be a mix of live, virtual, hybrid events and Techweek TV, so there’s something to suit everyone. This year, the event will explore six themes that showcase how technology can help keep people connected, the economy active, and how NZ can become a tech hub for thought leadership.

One of the themes is Climate and Sustainability.

NZ is defined by its natural environment and its progressive and entrepreneurial spirit – qualities that can put us at the forefront of climate and sustainable tech solutions.

Innovation supports global climate change mitigation and there is a global demand for tech-based solutions. NZ is defined by its natural environment, along with several other attributes, that should put us at the forefront of global sustainable tech solutions.

A highly developed and sustainable tech economy has the advantage of delivering weightless exports, attracting investment that works for the environment and our commitments to a low emissions future. Moreover, the deployment of sustainable tech solutions across the energy, agriculture, transport, waste and other key sectors will enhance our standing among nations by demonstrating our leadership in combating the climate crisis.

Other themes include Skills and Knowledge to focus on the growing demand for tech and those who work in the industry; Digital Transformation, with the aim of keeping people connected and the economy active, to attain our share of the exponential growth potential in the digital sector and the economy; and Leaders and Innovation, in which we will share inspiring stories of local tech innovation and leadership.

Global Impact is another theme which highlights NZ for global investors, tech talent and tech buyers. Now is the time to tell that story and position NZ as an exciting tech industry to engage with. Success on the international stage means amplifying our global reputation for innovative digital solutions and ethical application of tech.

This theme will showcase NZ tech companies who are successfully flourishing internationally, with a willingness to share their experiences with early-stage businesses. This presents a further unique opportunity to support export growth in sectors such as software as a service, AI and interactive media.

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Techweek22 will run from May 16-22, events can be submitted until April 12.

Introducing Javier Roca

Livestock Sales & Marketing Manager

I grew up on my family’s beef farm in South America and later pursued my career in livestock, first managing dairy farms and then working for a USA-based breeding company. Attracted by New Zealand’s agricultural reputation, I moved to Palmerston North 15 years ago to pursue postgraduate studies in Animal Science. I am delighted to take over this new role and to be part of the team at GlobalHQ. I look forward to working with you to ensure that your advertising hits the mark with an engaged audience by using the platforms that GlobalHQ has to offer; whether that’s print, digital, or new media. Contact Javier today on 027 602 4925, or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz