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in switzerland we call that a bell. coupled with extremely sensitive sensors we call ears, farmers can find a lost cow far away in the mountain.

bonus point: tourists love those so much you can buy smaller models at the airport.




What is 'far away' in Switzerland? I'm in Australia and have a small beef farm and there no way a bell could let you know where cows always are. They get into a gully on the other side of your property etc sound wont travel. I only have a small property I run as a side business vs many family farmers on thousands or 10's of thousands of acres. The really big properties get I to millions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_stations...

Also a bell doesn't stop them getting through a fence and into your neighbours property or heading bush.

A big part of this tech is pasture management. Ideally you want to keep a herd moving so they only eat the top third of pasture and move on. This can help automate that task.

Not least what they mention about real time feedback about cattle health.

I don't doubt bells are useful, but this tech is at another level of helpfulness. It's a smart phone vs yelling difference.

The big question is cost and measurable benifit. Having to mesh wifi a large property won't be cheap (maybe just water points for daily updates?), the cost per collar and how long they last and how this plays into grazing and health benifits will decide how viable this tech is.


Thank you for these insights.

I just want to add that mesh wifi is not necessary here. Given the amount of bandwidth needed (very little), LoRaWAN (1) with its ~3-10km range will be quite practical.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoRa


pasture management is indeed a big one, i heard that proper herding can increase drastically soil carbon intake in some cases. i do doubt however that climate management is the primary goal of most industrial farm with 1+ million cows. my comment was on the hi/low tech joke side originally, but i wonder if a technology that would allow even more industrial farming is a good thing.


Climate is just a side effect, that same management also allows a lot more cows on the same unit of land.

Though farmers are interested in selling carbon credits. This still needs figuring out, but of they can make some side cash they will.


For what it's worth, I've heard claims/studies that cowbells are loud and constant enough to affect cows' eating patterns and cause deafness.


i didn't know that, but indeed i found a study that claims that.


Do you have a bell that can be heard over 5,850,000 acres? Because I’d like to buy one for Anna Creek station in South Australia.

Though it may well also be that you have an extraordinarily freakish range of hearing.




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