Five stations in tech trial

Choping

TIMING. When to buy, when to sell; when to draft off weaners or when to spell a paddock: good timing can mean the difference between turning profit or making a loss in the cattle industry.

Five stations across Northern Australia having been trialling a new way to take the guesswork out of good timing using new technology that monitors both the health of your cattle and the health of your country.

It’s called the Precision Pastoral Management Tool and it’s been developed by the Co-operative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation in Alice Springs, a partnership between research bodies, governments, industry and a handful of Northern Australian pastoralists.

“Most producers are making decisions around their cattle based on when they are driving around doing there bore runs,” said Sally Leigo, research leader for the Precision Pastoral Management Tools project.

“It’s all visual based. It’s subjective.”

She says the PPMT is an objective way to see what’s really going on with your herd and your property.

“For the first time this technology gives producers objective data,” she said.

“It’s using data to make better timed decisions around your management.”

Initially, the PPMT program involved using telemetry so station managers could remotely track, weigh and draft cattle according to either their weight or ear tag number. Now the program has developed an app that combines both live weight and fodder data for pastoralists, so they can not only see what’s going on with their cattle but what’s going on with their pasture and act accordingly. Ms Leigo said so far feedback from trial stations using the new software to manage cattle had been positive, with station managers reporting it can pick up trends well before they are visible to them on the ground. She said from trials at Glenflorrie Station they had indications that they needed to do something with their cattle though the remote livestock monitoring six weeks before they were able to visually see the changes in the cattle.

“That six weeks could be a significant savings in terms of money and live weight by getting that early indicator,” she said.

“The experience we had at Glenflorrie certainly showed that we could get not only improved live weight at turn off but also (get) the early notice on it as well.” And while auto drafters may free up a little time for stations, Ms Leigo is certain that this won’t be at the expense of employment in the industry.

“Cattle will still always need to be handled. They need to be castrated, branded, weaned and trained, all that kind of component still needs to happen.” She’s hoping not only will the cattle and fodder monitoring technology improve production and profitability on stations, the auto drafting technology will give station staff a little more down time.

“From what I’ve seen on stations they are very time poor and they have difficulties getting staff.”

“If this means instead of working seven days a week some staff may be working six days a week, then I think that’s good for the industry.”

What’s more she said in being able to monitor your cattle from afar it has the added benefit of giving station managers peace of mind when away from the property.

“If you choose to get away for a weekend, you can still monitor how your cattle are going by jumping online and checking the system,” she said.

While the technology may be complicated to develop, that doesn’t mean it’s complicated to use.

According to Ms Leigo pastoralists in the trial have taken to the PPMT app quickly due to its intuitive design.

“Our producers don’t need to have a one-day training session in how to read the data and what it means for their business.”

“The first time they see it, it makes sense to them they don’t actually need it explained to them.”

With just 18 months left in the project, Ms Leigo is hoping the pastoral monitoring app used in trial properties will become available to the wider market by the end of 2017.

“Over the next 18 months we are trying to finalise a commercialisation partner for the software.

“We are hoping by the end of next year we will have this technology commercially available for producers to start using.”

For more information on the Precision Pastoral Management Tools project visit contact Sally Leigo on 08 8951 8144. OWNED and managed by the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), is a 1280km2 cattle station that grows out brahman crossbred cattle as part of the company’s supply chain. The project is working with weaners that rotate between three paddocks. The grazing land in these paddocks is a mixture of mitchell grass downs country with spinifex ridges and gidgee loam. Dalgonally station’s average annual rainfall is 490mm and the 2014/2015 wet season was late and below average. OWNED and managed by Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), is a 10,334km2 cattle station running Brahman and Brahman cross cattle to supply both the domestic and international markets. Newcastle Waters also has its own stud herd, supplying bulls to other CPC stations. The project is focusing on the growing out of the weaner bulls in the paddock before they are finished and sent out to work. Cattle production is based on native pastures with the main land type made up of cracking grey soils with Mitchell grass. The average rainfall received is 563mm, with 2013 being below average, 2014 being the third highest rainfall received and 2015, to date, has been below average. OWNED and managed by the Hobbs family. It is a sheep and cattle property (150 km2) producing wool, lamb and beef. The cattle are Angus and Hereford crossbreds to supply both the domestic and European Union markets. The project is working with the breeding cows of Tarrina’s herd, which graze on land types dominated by Mitchell Grass. Average rainfall at Tarrina is approximately 500mm but 2013-2015 have delivered tough seasons with little rainfall and like much of western Queensland is in a severe drought. A 1440km2 cattle station owned and managed by the Hayes family. The station runs a poll Hereford herd, supplying both the domestic and international organic beef markets. The project is working with the steers of the enterprise, which aim to be turned off as 18-24 month olds weighing over 400kg. The steers graze in a paddock composed of buffel and oatgrasses, on alluvial and red loam soils with mulga and witchetty bush. Uniquely winter rainfall can occur here (as it did in 2014) and provide succulents and other forbs as well. Undooolya station on average receives 289mm of rainfall, with 2014 and 2015 being below average.