Australian sheep farmers will be able to use high-tech equipment by next year which will help them predict the risk of disease and death amongst their flock.

Productivity

The system will be developed by the start of 2017 and its makers believe it will improve productivity within the Australian sheep farming industry.

Jointly, Data to Decisions Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and the NSW-based Sheep CRC will deliver a web or smart device-based application to farmers.

The technology will provide two key areas of information:

• Using data from the Bureau of Meteorology, biophysical models/genetic modelling information, satellite imagery and other information it will predict feed availability as well as risks from parasites, flies and extreme weather events.
• Predict yield based on genetic information, whilst also informing farmers when their sheep/lamb is ready for the abattoir

Once developed, the tool will be marketed and potentially sold by the Sheep CRC to farmers around Australia in an attempt to maximise value for the industry.

The Sheep CRC already has an app – Ram Select – which enables sheep breeders to quickly rank for sale rams using its own database of animal data.

Decision making

“At the moment, what farmers use to make their decisions, is really their gut feeling,” said Sanjay Mazumdar, chief executive of the D2D CRC told www.adelaidenow.com.

“We are now taking D2D CRC’s research and data skills from our main focus area – on defence and national security – and applying that to other sectors and industries.

“The application of ICT technologies to agriculture is a significant game changer and this is a prime example,” he said.

Breakthrough

Sheep breeder Lynton Arney, owner of the Inverbrackie Border Leicester Stud, told adelaidenow.com that the technology had the ability to move the industry forward.

“The more we can know ahead, the better we can plan and to tie in the environmental systems into planning provides us with the kind of support that the cropping industry has had over the years.”

Standard Wool is one of the largest wool buyers in the UK and will monitor the success of the technology when it is implemented. Protecting sheep from disease is a constant battle for UK sheep farmers and assistance from proven technology would be a welcome help.

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