James & Jenny are farmers who fatten two-and-a-half-thousand fat lambs each year. They’re in a fair bit of debt after taking over the family farm. They want to maximise their returns.
Bill is a large property manager, running fourteen-thousand ewes. While he has a decent budget to work with, he has to give account to the property owners, who want to maximise their returns.
Shane is the owner and director of a feeder manufacturing company. He wants to sell more feeders to more customers. He wants to maximise his returns.
What is the problem all these people have in common?
They all have to deal with shy feeders.
Shy feeders are the five to twenty percent of any flock of animals that won’t fatten efficiently because they are bullied away from the food by more dominant animals. This affects the farmer’s profit as these animals will not be ready to go to market on time.
Enter the Feeder Reader – the intelligent in-paddock solution to shy feeders.
The Feeder Reader is attached to a lick feeder. When the animals come to feed, it logs each animal’s electronic ear tag to identify which animals are eating at the feeder. Those that are not logged are assumed to be shy feeders. The shy feeders are identified quickly, well before they begin losing weight. Using this information, the farmer or manager can then decide on the next step for these animals, including separation of shy feeders from the mob.
This technique is superior to the current practice of visual identification or weight measurements that require regular moving of stock to the yards. This is labour intensive and disruptive to the animals. The Feeder Reader is a tool for farmers, like James and Jenny, to be able to make data-based decisions.
Well beyond a mere concept, our team has developed robust customer validation through numerous interviews with livestock farmers that provide strong support to the development and adoption of the Feeder Reader product.
The project team has developed an early and small-scale prototype with proven results on its own farm and invites you to join us for the next exciting phase of development. We are seeking financial and resource assistance and expertise in accessing local and international markets, manufacturing, and marketing to bring the Feeder Reader to market.