Key Stats:
Grower - Dean Hann & Rebecca Gorman
Location - Mundarlo, NSW, Australia
Crops and/or stock - Angus Cattle Stock
Property size - 3,000 acres
Water Level Monitoring.
Dean Hann is the property manager for Rebecca Gorman's Yabtree West farm, just 40 minutes west of Wagga Wagga in NSW. Dean runs the almost 3,000-acre property with over 320 breeding herd of Angus Beef Cattle.
Dean and Rebecca chose to install the Observant Tank Monitoring Kits to reduce the time and resources they were spending having to physically check each tank’s water levels and ensure stock had water. Now, they’ve come to value the peace of mind that comes from being able easily log in to their farm’s portfolio and check water levels for each tank site, direct from their mobile phones, using Observant Global. Whether they’re off-site or in another country, Observant Global allows them the freedom to remotely monitor their farm and set up water level alerts if the tanks levels hit their alert thresholds.
““We didn’t want to come home to perished cattle or water everywhere (because of a leak in the system). It’s a good tool to have in your kit, to have the peace of mind - knowing you can check on it.”
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Before installing the Tank Kits, Dean was used to getting up and checking water levels every morning, ensuring; there were no leaks or blockages, tanks and troughs had water and that cattle hadn't damaged anything.
Now, when there's a problem Dean can set up his tanks to send automated text message alerts direct to his mobile phone when water supplies drop below 60%, with a secondary ‘very low’ level alert at 40%.
““If there’s a problem you can fix it. Whereas before sometimes you might not get there in time. It could be two hours later then what I’m getting to it now and it could be too late”. ”
Observant’s software captures the data collected from each tank, graphs it and provides valuable insights for users wanting to make informed decisions. Percentage readings show how much water cattle are drinking each day, especially in summer where surprisingly Dean found that cattle were drinking a lot more than he thought. He goes on to say...“In the summer they’re drinking a lot more water than we all think a cow would drink, on a hot day 80-100 litres of water.”
“Im pretty fastidious about water you know - I hate losing it. But having this (Observant Global) now has just made it easier, that you can manage your water better and knowing you’ve got it. If there’s a problem you can fix it.”
Key Takeaways:
Labor costs reduced by 50% by installing telemetry to monitoring water levels remotely
Stay prepared and ahead of faults in your farm water management system with automated low level (water) alerts
Protect your valuable assets, by investing in tools that help you achieve your farm goals and free you up to focus on other areas
Yabtree West, NSW Australia