Halter gives farmers the tech to boost herds productivity

Primary producers face many challenges. Floods, droughts, fires and labour shortages make the management of large farms exceedingly challenging. On top of that, producers need to ensure they optimise the use of their land to ensure herds are well fed and that they maximise the return on their investment.

Managing herds and large properties have traditionally been handled by complex systems of fences and gates through which cattle are herded. The fences and gates are static and need to be maintained. But new technologies enable the creation of virtual fences that can be managed from a smartphone or computer, enabling producers to move herds without having to traverse their properties using cars, motorbikes, horses or even aircraft.

Alicia Wells, the head of eastern states at Halter, explained.

"Virtual fencing is enabled by a GPS collar that's solar powered and sits on the animal. It connects to towers that enable us to communicate real-time data back to a cloud service that puts actionable information in the palm of the producer's hand."

While many people doubt the intelligence of cattle, the system works because cattle can learn. Using an app that can run on a smartphone or computer, the producer can designate a virtual fence and then send a signal to a herd to move them as needed.

"As the animal moves towards the virtual fence, the collar starts beeping like a reversing car," says Wells. "The beeping gets faster and the cattle are so clever they learn to stop and change direction if they approach. If it beeps in the right ear they turn left and if beeps in the left, they turn right. If they are particularly naughty cattle, they might get a low electric pulse that's much gentler than an electric fence. But happens predominantly during the training period, which is about five to seven days. We also have a third cue, which is vibration."

Virtual fencing requires a way to send and receive data from the collars. Base stations with antennae, that are connected to the internet, link the collars with the producer. The number of base stations needed for the communications varies depending on the size of the property and the terrain. On large properties, which may be as large as some countries, being able to manage herds like this saves considerable time and resources. It also enables producers to manage their properties with greater precision as stock movements are not limited by physical fences and gates.

The move from traditional fencing to virtual fencing requires a rethink on the part of producers.

"With traditional fencing you pay an upfront cost. You might have that fencing, if you're lucky, for a couple of decades," said Wells. "With Halter you have a subscription that enables you to be flexible and proactive about how you're shifting and containing your cattle. It's a completely different way of thinking about fencing. It enables you to move with the seasons, adjust with your labour constraints and consider the condition of different areas on the farm."

Although this changes the cost model for producers, it has been delivering benefits. Wells said the ability to better manage herds and the land enables producers to carry as much as 30% more stock on the same property as the system enables more efficient and effective land management.

As well as aiding day-to-day herd management, Halter's system can have significant benefits during natural disasters. Australia's producers face droughts, floods and fires. The ability to move a herd using the collars can expedite the movement of cattle from a potentially dangerous area to a safer one without the farmer needing to put themselves or their staff at risk.

Wells said some of the producers Halter works with previously could not reach their cattle without a helicopter and, often, that helicopter might not be able to land. The technology enables you to shift the cattle because you know exactly where they are as every single animal is GPS located. If a fire is coming, for example, the farmer can shift them to a safe place.

"For some of the farmers we work with in far north Queensland where stations are huge, it can take days to get to the other side of some of those properties. Now, they can see and control their herd from the palm of their hand," Wells added.

While the current generation of collars that Halter has developed relies on cellular and Wi-Fi for communications, the company is planning to roll out collars equipped with satellite comms next year. That will enable the position of each animal to be tracked and sent to the farmer via the low earth orbit satellite services that are becoming increasingly pervasive.

Today's producers have an entirely new way of managing their herds and property.

"It's exciting that producers now have real-time data from their animals. We are becoming the operating system for producers to help them make better decisions faster."