That’s a bold statement, but it’s how strongly Nathan Cox feels about farming with Halter.
In this blog, Nathan shares how using Halter’s virtual fencing system has saved hours of fence work, improved pasture growth, boosted calf performance, and given him the confidence that his cows are exactly where they should be. From tough weather to tricky paddocks, he explains why Halter isn’t just a tool - it’s now critical to how his farm runs.
Beef, beet and potatoes
Nathan and his wife run a 320-acre mixed farm in Paloona, on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Australia. Alongside breeding beef calves, they grow potatoes and fodder beet, managing around 100 cows across the property. And like all farmers, time, grass, and lifestyle used to be a constant juggle.
Until Halter arrived on the scene.
A game changer in the first 48 hours
Within two days of using Halter’s virtual fencing, Nathan knew things were going to be different.
Accurately allocating paddock feed. Shifting cows from his phone. Seeing how his herd was behaving in real time. And all of this happening without any extra effort.
“Within the first 48 hours, we realised Halter was a game changer.”
Instead of guessing pasture intake or dealing with fence pegs in all weather, feed allocation became precise, simple, and managed from anywhere on the farm. Including inside his house!
Better growth, stronger calves
One of the biggest improvements he’s seen has been unprecedented weight gain in his young stock.
Calves can now creep feed ahead of cows without physical fences holding them back. And if a cow needs extra attention, Nathan can pause her collar via the app and let her feed in front of the herd. That extra feed gets her back on track quickly.
Nathan now has some of the best calf growth rates he’s seen - both visually and on the scales.
Time back in Nathan’s day to spend elsewhere
Before Halter, strip grazing meant reels, pegs, mud, rain, late nights, and a whole lot of time.
Fence shifts could take 20 minutes, or sometimes two hours. Time he’d never get back or be able to spend on higher-value jobs. Family time was sacrificed for urgent jobs on the farm.
Now, that time goes somewhere Nathan chooses.
“Halter on average has saved us between one to two hours a day.”
More jobs get done, more time with family, and no more late-night fencing in the wet and cold.
Utilising more grass is just the start
With precise grazing control comes pasture improvement. Nathan says they’re now:
- Growing more grass
- Utilising better-quality grass
- Managing pasture far more effectively
That control has even allowed them to take paddocks out of pasture and put them into lucerne for fodder production - something that wasn’t possible before.
Easily grazing previously impossible areas
There’s a paddock along the river they could never strip graze - there was no way to run a fence and no practical option. That part of the farm was simply unusable, but virtual fencing has changed that.
Now they can strip graze it precisely, opening up feed that was previously out of reach, in turn making a larger portion of the farm contribute to the bottom line.
Confidence in the system
For Nathan, one of the biggest differences isn’t just time or pasture.
It’s confidence.
Confidence the cows will stay where they should.
Confidence shifts will happen on time.
Confidence the system will work day after day.
“We wouldn’t run our property the way we do without Halter. It would make it so difficult to go back.”
And that’s why, when someone asked what he’d do if Halter disappeared tomorrow, his answer was simple:
“I’d probably sell the farm.”
Get in touch today to chat with a local rep about what Halter could look like on your farm - we're here when you're ready!
