Technology Gives Greater Insight into Managing Your Herd

Emerging technologies may make cattle management easier than ever. These systems may reduce the need for on-farm labor and provide greater insights into your herd. 

A Scanner to Weigh Cattle

ClicR Technologies, a Florida-based imaging company, has developed a scanning system it said can measure individual cattle weights with 98% or better accuracy — without scales! 

ClicRweight Bovine Solution is a 3D camera mounted above a watering or feeding station. Every time an animal comes to drink or eat, the system identifies it and takes multiple scans. Then, a patented algorithm sorts the scans and calculates animal weights, said Joey Spicola, CEO of ClicR Technologies. Information is stored in the cloud and can be accessed on demand by computer or remote device. 

Recent tests compared results from ClicR scan weights with those from traditional scales at the University of Florida. On 20 market-ready animals, each weighing around 1,500 pounds, the average of the 3D scan weights was within 0.3% of the scales, or about 4.5 pounds per head. The greatest discrepancy was 4%.

Using the technology, feedlot operators can monitor weight gains frequently without putting the animals over scales, Spicola said. “If an animal hits its target weight, you can know it immediately. If an animal is a nongainer, you can know that too,” he said. 

Spicola said he believes ClicRweight Bovine could be useful in seed stock situations in which growth rates are critical data points. However, the technology can be challenging in pasture situations lacking central watering or feeding locations to place the system.

The scanning equipment can be sensitive to bright sunlight, so it must be installed inside or under a cover. One ClicR system can monitor the weights of about 50 head.

The hardware for the scanning system is leased to you, and ClicR oversees maintenance and upgrades. You pay on a monthly subscription basis. Depending on the size and scope of your operation, the equipment and data costs about 7¢ per head per day, Spicola said. For more information, visit clicrweight.com.  

Count Cattle, Check Fences From the Air

Beefree Agro has introduced a drone-based system for managing cattle and pastures. Founded in Israel, the company has expanded to South America and the U.S. 

Founders Noam Azran and Dvir Cohen are long-time cattlemen. “We’ve tailored it to ourselves and other beef producers like us,” Azran explained.

Beefree doesn’t sell drone hardware. Rather, their software controls drones for cattle tasks, Azran said.  

They recommend pairing the software with a DJI Mavic Enterprise drone and smart controller.

The Beefree Agro software controls the drone to automatically fly missions over your ranch or feedlot on your schedule. “You tell us what you want to monitor and when, and we can help you set it up to do that,” Azran said. After each flight, it reports back to you.

The technology can help with several tasks, including:

• Counting stock with thermal imaging, with 99.9% accuracy
• Finding lost livestock
• Monitoring pasture conditions
• Checking infrastructure such as water availability and fence status 
• Streaming real-time video to enhance security protection or reduce predation
• Monitoring feed bunks for optimal feed distribution

Future services may include finding newborn calves and unhealthy cattle.

After it completes its mission, Beefree Agro sends a report to your smartphone or computer. If there’s anything wrong, you know immediately.

Azran called it a “flying cowboy,” able to replace man-hours. “It can eliminate some of the things I consider the boring tasks on a ranch, like checking fences. You can spend more time on genetics, marketing, or other management issues,” he said.

The drone’s range is about 4 miles from the base station, and it can monitor a square mile of a pasture or feedlot in about 30 minutes, Azran said. After recharging, it’s ready to fly over another area and report.

Beefree Agro offers a monthlong free trial period. Paid subscriptions cost around 20¢ per animal per month. In return, Azran said customers have reported savings of $5–7 per animal per month. To learn more, visit beefreeagro.com.