Auto Weigher Launches at Fieldays 2024

Gallagher Animal Management is excited to expand its range of Animal Performance & Traceability solutions with the introduction of the Auto Weigher to be launched at Fieldays 2024. Developed by technology partner StrongBó Agritech , this innovation brings the scales to the animals? allowing farmers to stay connected with their livestock's performance, enabling more informed decisions.

Livestock producers face growing challenges around productivity and the need to produce more with less. As farmers are increasingly under pressure as economic and climate factors impact their day-to-day operations, it is critical to identify new tools, harnessing technology to improve efficiency. Gallagher believes the new Auto Weigher is one of these tools removing barriers to regular weighing.??

Traditional methods of livestock weighing require animals to be physically mustered to cattle yards for weighing, which can be time-consuming, and not always practical. This results in animals not being weighed often and leads to missed management opportunities to meet performance targets.

The Auto Weigher enables more frequent livestock weight monitoring, removing the need for shifting herds to and from cattle yards. The system entices cattle onto a platform with a mineral or molasses block. The animal’s EID is read, and partial weight data is captured, analysed, and converted to full body weight, then transmitted to the Cloud. Through the software dashboard, farmers can view the average weight and daily gain of the mob, as well as individual animals, allowing for strategic, data-driven decisions.?

Lisbeth Jacobs , CEO of Gallagher Animal Management, emphasises that this partnership is part of Gallagher’s proactive approach to meeting future farming needs.

"The Auto Weigher complements our line-up of animal performance and traceability solutions, supporting farmers in making efficient and productive decisions. Our investment in StrongBó Agritech underscores our commitment to innovative partnerships for the benefit of farmers and the agricultural sector at large."?

Brian Rose, Gallagher’s Head of Animal Performance & Traceability at Gallagher is excited about what the future holds for their weighing and EID offering.

“It is always our goal to offer connected solutions, combining insights from the Auto Weigher with our existing Animal Performance offer will enable farmers to have a better understanding of how their animals are performing."

Since partnering with Gallagher, StrongBó Agritech has redeveloped the Auto Weigher to suit both pastoral and feedlot applications. Paul Scannell, StrongBó Agritech’s Commercial Lead says:

“The Auto Weigher is now solar and battery powered, totally portable, can be towed by most farm vehicles and easily deployed by one person. All this has further enhanced its suitability for the New Zealand market, specifically in the beef cattle industry but we also see potential with dry and youngstock applications in dairy.”

Supporting StrongBó Agritech in market, Eoin Hughes , Market Advisor, Agribusiness & Waste, Enterprise Ireland Australia & New Zealand , the Irish Government’s trade and innovation agency adds:

“The Auto Weigher is a great example of the innovation coming out of Ireland in the agritech space. This partnership with Gallagher will support StrongBó Agritech to bring their technology to the New Zealand market while complimenting Gallagher’s existing range of technologies, so it’s a win-win for both companies.”

The Auto Weigher will be on site at this year's National Fieldays alongside Gallagher’s latest suite of agritech innovations; and the Gallagher and StrongBó Agritech teams will be on hand to answer any questions farmers may have.

For those who cannot attend, they can find more information on Gallagher’s website at https://am.gallagher.com/en-NZ/new-products/auto-weigher?