Resources
Adoption of Halter technology
Duncan McDonald, an early adopter of Halter cow collars, introduced virtual fencing to cut labour demands and now sees gains in milk yield, animal health, reproduction outcomes, and reduced costs.
Case Studies
Connecting a farm
Name
Will Bowden, owner/manager
Location
Bothwell
Will Bowden is a fifth-generation farmer currently managing his family farm which covers 15,000 hectares of land across Tasmania's Central Highlands, running 23,000 merino ewes and a herd of 600 Angus and Wagyu cattle. Investment in irrigation has meant they can now grow potatoes as well.
What was the challenge?
- Slow internet connection at the property was making it hard to do research, pay the bills, complete BAS statements and complete any work that required connectivity.
- A presentation by Jason Shore on how telemetry wifi networks could benefit farmers sparked Will’s imagination on what this sort of technology could be used for and how it could solve an ongoing and time-consuming cahallenge of managing irrigators.
- “If one pivot shuts down and I haven’t been to it in 24 hours, that’s 24 hours of lost irrigation. During the peak evaporation periods that can be hugely detrimental to the crop.”
What was the process?
- Firstly, Will identified the areas that take up the most time and where the most efficiencies could be gained. He prioritised automating and remotely controlling these areas.
- Will built a battery powered wifi tower to enable an NBN and LoRaWAN gateway to allow data transmitting of sensors and remote controlling of irrigators and pumps.
- Working with YBM IT, Will set up sensors and remote-control systems across the property.
Results
Will can now remotely control 17 centre pivot irrigators and change watering rates via an app on his mobile phone using Valley BaseStation 3.
Using the bespoke YBM platform, Will can remotely control and monitor his pumps and release valves for reservoirs, water controlling, control gates and security cameras.
Together with YBM IT, they are building a system that allows data from moisture producers to control the pivots.
Connectivity
- Delivers internet connectivity to remote or hard-to-reach farm areas
- Enables use of digital tools and communication systems in areas without fibre coverage
- Maintains operational continuity during outages or network failures
NBN
National broadband network delivering optical fibre technology, fixed wireless towers and Sky Muster Satellites to deliver the NBN network to regional and remote Australia
Estimated Cost
~ AUD 40+ / month
Telstra
Telstra is Australia's leading telecommunications company, that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related digital products and internet services.
Internet Hardware
- Provides end-to-end connectivity solutions tailored to agricultural environments
- Includes both physical infrastructure and ongoing connectivity support
- Ensures compatibility between new and existing farm systems
Indicium Dynamics
- Integrates data from sensors, assets, and external sources into one platform.
- Helps farmers access real-time insights through custom dashboards and alerts.
Estimated Cost
N/A (quote required)
YBMiT
• Tasmanian owned and operated service and hardware provider building solutions for automation, remote access, data transfer, CCTV and connecting a farm.
Estimated Cost
N/A (quote required)
