Farm Online

Customer-first collaboration between Nutrien Ag Solutions Dalby and Datamars Livestock

Warren and Meg Salter with their family in Dalby, Queensland. Picture: Supplied
Warren and Meg Salter with their family in Dalby, Queensland. Picture: Supplied

This is branded content for Nutrien Ag Solutions.

When Warren and Meg Salter first considered the Tru-Test Remote Walk Over Weighing Flexi Mobile system, they were running an 18,000-head cattle feedlot with a backgrounding program, turning over 60-80,000 head a year.

"From the start we were into collecting weigh data and driving outcomes to meet target requirements. In the intensive world, it is all about individual animal identification and monitoring," Warren said.

"We weren't working on lot averages, but on individual animal performance and dealing with the selection criteria. We had some contact with producers using the Remote Walk Over Weighing systems and saw benefits such as cattle handling, limiting stress, all the positive factors that came out from the data they were collecting."

By the time the Salters purchased the system they were transitioning from intensive to extensive farming and looking for better work-life balance.

Located near Dalby, Queensland on the edge of the Darling Downs, the couple now run a mixed farming and grazing operation breeding Angus Stud bulls and females adapted for the climatic conditions, and a commercial backgrounding and finishing operation.

With the shift, the Salters needed to define a new structure. They had to establish whether they brought on one or two work units outside the family.

Their local Nutrien Ag Solutions Dalby store and Datamars Livestock then came into play recommending the Tru-Test Remote Walk Over Weigh Flexi Mobile solution, which remotely weighs cattle in the paddock and drafts off top performers with little or no human intervention.

Setting up was easy as the collaboration between Nutrien Ag Solutions and Datamars Livestock supported Warren and ensured that the Walk Over Weighing Flexi Mobile system hit all the right notes from the get go, saving labour costs and stress, delivering consistent, useful individual animal data, and moving easily to where stock are located, rather than animals moving to the weigh system.

Warren said the new system immediately saved on one of those work units.

"If you're collecting weigh data manually, it is obviously labour intensive," he said. "But we don't need to be anywhere near the remote mobile system, and we can have data presented to us as soon as the cattle are going through the crate.

"We know what we will get out of a draft. For example, we know when we go to handle a mob, that 50 of that 72 will meet market requirements. It certainly helps with pre-planning.

"With drafting, we can select which animals we need from which herd, put the Auto-drafter there, and the cattle are ready to pick up, whether they are ready for sale, or ready to move into a new program with our heifer joining weights or our stud program. That's a huge benefit."

Warren said the benefits of the system had quickly delivered financial gains for the business.

"We have easily repaid the investment through labour saving and reduction on stress handling and performance setbacks with our livestock," he said.

"Initially I would have said return on investment was in the first 12 months, but I believe it is less than six.

"On top of that, in our part of the world, we have this production challenge called 'drought' reducing feed and water supplies and impacting animal performance.

"With challenging conditions, management is more critical and needs to be timely. The Remote Walk Over Weighing is an awesome system, certainly for the challenging seasons."

Be WOW'd this spring and head to your local Nutrien Ag Solutions store or participating business to buy a Remote Walk Over Weighing unit and receive a bonus Farmbot Tank Monitor and Rain Gauge Pack. Terms and conditions apply, visit www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au/find-a-branch for more information.

This is branded content for Nutrien Ag Solutions.