Smart collar firm Halter has launched new direct-to-satellite technology that will work without the need for towers.

It will allow beef farmers to manage their cattle anywhere they can see the sky,  News.Az reports, citing RNZ.

The technology makes Halter the first company in the world to offer virtual fencing via satellite.

Farms in areas with connectivity limitations such as in parts of Central Otago, Gisborne and Southland high country had previously been more limited in their use of Halter technology.

Internal modelling estimates direct-to-satellite capability will expand access to Halter for New Zealand beef farms by at least 20 percent.

Direct-to-satellite also positions Halter for expansion into more remote markets globally, such as South America and parts of Africa.

Until now, the solar-powered, GPS-enabled collars system depended on Halter's radio towers on farms.

In New Zealand, Halter will become the largest provider of non-mobile devices connected to Starlink, with hundreds of thousands of the new collar version to go live upon launch, globally.

"Connectivity for virtual fencing was the blocker for the most remote or large operations and direct-to-satellite solves this, " said Craig Piggott, chief executive and founder of Halter.

"With One NZ and Starlink, we've removed that barrier. Farmers managing animals on remote, rugged terrain can now access the same tools as operations with full cellular coverage.

"Combined with our new suite of product features, these farms can be even more productive."One NZ chief executive Jason Paris said Halter was an example of Kiwi innovation at its absolute best.

"We're stoked to be backing their expansion of rural connectivity with One NZ Satellite for their smart collars. It's not every day you're helping cows connect to satellites in space, so that New Zealand farmers can access world leading technology that improves stock management.

"That's exactly the kind of outside of the box thinking we love to see, and love to get in behind."

Bevan McKnight, lessee of Northburn Station in the Dunstan Mountains, Central Otago, runs 200 angus cattle and 11,000 merino sheep on 13,000 hectares, and said direct-to-satellite will unlock unconstrained grazing.

"Virtually fencing our extensive station using Halter will be a game changer for land utilisation. For the first time, we'll be able to graze large blocks of land that have never been touched by our cattle, because we had no way of managing them there.

"To do that before this satellite solution would have required 25 towers, so this new practical option makes Halter a no-brainer for us."

Alongside the launch, Halter has rolled out its largest-ever product upgrade for beef farmers.

The update includes a heat detection tool to identify non-cycling animals before breeding, a new behaviour tool providing insight into how feed allocation and pasture quality are influencing cattle performance, and grazing features including high-resolution pasture mapping, pasture metrics, zone and block management, and a feed demand calculator.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova