eShepherd

Agersens eShepherd is a world first IoT driven platform comprising a solar powered neckband and a cloud-based application which farmers can use to fence, move and monitor their livestock. Neckbands contain a CSIRO patented program that trains livestock to recognise and stay within virtual boundaries by using an audio cue and an electric pulse. Farmers create or modify a virtual paddock using a web application on their laptop or tablet. The virtual fence GPS co-ordinates are sent wirelessly to each animal’s neckband via an internet connected base station. The neckbands then operate autonomously to train each animal. eShepherd provides the following benefits:

1. enabling automated controlled grazing programs to increase pasture utilization, pasture biomass production and deliver more kilograms of beef per hectare or litres of milk per cow

2. reduce the cost of mustering cattle on large pastoral properties

3. reduce the labour units to move and monitor beef and dairy cattle

4. reduce the cost to build and maintain fencing

5. reduce the cost of riparian fencing

6. provide a flood and fireproof, wildlife fencing method for managing riparian zones and stock access to sensitive environments

7. improve animal health and welfare by 24/7 monitoring of individual cattle

8. increase calving rate by more effective stock control during joining season

9. improve soil health and nutrition by enabling rotational or cell grazing to be implement on scale in large pastoral enterprises.