“We are targeting April as our commercial launch. It’s all happening very quickly.”
Auckland-based Halter has developed the collar, which allows cows to be guided around a farm using a smartphone app.
The company has been testing the technology on a Waikato farm for 18 months.
“The system uses audio and vibration to train a cow.
“The smartest cows take only two hours to train,” Piggott said.
“The farmer then has the ability to use the remote technology to shift the cows around the farm.”
The solar-powered collars could revolutionise the dairy sector, reducing labour and infrastructure costs.
“The collars can be programmed to bring the cows to the milking shed at certain times and identify cows on heat,” he said.
“The collar has huge animal welfare benefits, especially on larger farms.
“If a cow stops eating because she’s sick or lame she can be identified sooner.”
Virtual fences save time by eliminating the need for farmers to erect temporary electric fences.
“We have built the system to work around existing permanent fences.
“In the long-term, a farmer could pull out all their fences and run a completely fenceless farm,” he said.
“There are significant gains to be made with improved pasture utilisation.”
The collars have no upfront cost but farmers will pay a monthly fee to use the software.
Halter’s team has doubled in size in the past six months and the award-winning start-up is advertising more than a dozen positions on its website.
