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Neil Farmer knows cattle country better than most. He runs Brahman on Lake Learmonth Station near Rockhampton, and spends his days as a rural vet across Central Queensland, in and out of some of the best (and toughest) beef operations in the region.
When Neil introduced Halter and changed how he ran his place, word travelled fast.
The barrier every producer knows
With Halter, Neil is able to increase his time controlled grazing which has always been one of the best levers a beef producer has for lifting production per hectare. Smaller paddocks, more frequent moves and better rest periods can transform what a paddock produces. The theory isn't new but, the barrier has always been the same: building and shifting fencing. For most producers, the labour involved in running a proper rotational grazing system is enough to keep it as a "someday" project rather than how they actually run the place.
That's the barrier Neil and his wife Clare knocked down when they brought Halter's virtual fencing and herd health collar technology onto Lake Learmonth. Neil can break his paddocks down as small and as often as he likes, from his phone, without a single wire going up. No fencing gear, no extra labour, no extra boots on the ground.
The result is a level of feed utilisation and paddock control he couldn't get with fences alone, and a totally different relationship with his own country.
From a small trial to the whole herd
Neil originally started with Halter on just 700 cows, as he wasn't sure how it would work. After only 3 months, he’d already lifted carrying capacity from 700 to 900 since bringing Halter on.
"The change in feed utilisation and the feedback we're getting with the software is mind boggling," Neil says. "The potential is exciting, like looking at our carrying capacity and identifying our poor performers. The amount of production you get out of the country that would have gone to waste is mind blowing."
It's not just about running more cattle. It's about finding the production that was already sitting in the paddock, just out of reach without the tools to use it properly.
Checking in on the herd from anywhere
For Neil, the shift isn't only about numbers. It's changed how closely, and how often, he pays attention to his own country. With Halter, he's got his farm, his cattle and all the data behind his business right there on his phone or computer.
"Going through it every day and looking at it, wow," he says of the data coming through the Halter app.
It's changed what he can get away with too. Neil jokes he can now factor in a trip to Bali, because he can still move his herd from there if he needs to. Try doing that with a set of steel posts and a spool of wire.
The confidence shows in the numbers that matter most: Neil's already ordered more collars to collar the rest of his herd. And he's looking ahead. "I'm really excited for the next growing season, to see how it goes," he says, with one question front of mind: "How much can we crank that feed utilisation up?"
Word's getting around
Word's clearly getting around Central Queensland too. Back in June, Neil ran an open day at Lake Learmonth with Halter, giving farmers in his region the chance to see virtual fencing in action for themselves. Over 100 people turned up, some from 8 hours away! Proof that when someone in the region changes how he runs his own place, the rest of the district wants a look.
Curious what virtual fencing could do in your place? Get in touch with your local Halter rep here.
