Theo Beaumont, from the forefront of agricultural innovation, joins us to share his journey and insights into the world of virtual fencing technology. From growing up to navigating a potential career in banking, Theo found his true calling at Halter, a trailblazer in virtual fencing based in New Zealand. We explore his pivotal role in the company’s expansion into the United States, uncovering how his passion for agricultural technology is helping to shape the future of livestock management across six states with aspirations for further growth.
Our conversation delves into Halter's strategic focus on the dairy and beef sector for the US, Australian, and New Zealand markets. Theo walks us through the company's shift from prioritizing labor savings to enhancing pasture management, a move that has significantly boosted efficiencies in dairy operations. Learn how Halter's commitment to refining virtual fencing technology is paving the way for meaningful changes in pasture-based systems, offering farmers new tools for success even in challenging terrains.
Implementing Halter’s cutting-edge collar technology involves more than just equipment; it’s about adaptability and support. Theo shares the meticulous process of integrating this system on ranches, from initial planning to the thrill of collaring cattle. Our discussion highlights the versatility of these collars in managing livestock using GPS, auditory cues, and gentle pulses. Theo’s advice for newcomers in agriculture—curiosity and hands-on experience—resonates throughout, encouraging anyone passionate about farming to connect with Halter and explore this transformative technology.
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Original Music by Louis Palfrey
Chapters
- (00:00) - Introduction to Today's Episode
- (00:09) - Fast Five with Theo Beaumont
- (00:58) - Halter's Global Reach
- (01:57) - Welcome to the Grazing Grass Podcast
- (02:31) - Noble Profitability Essentials Course
- (03:57) - Theo's Journey to Halter
- (05:04) - New Zealand's Farming Practices
- (08:48) - Virtual Fencing and Dairy Farming
- (13:03) - Expanding Halter's Reach
- (15:47) - Challenges and Successes in New Zealand
- (19:43) - Overgrazing Section Sponsored by Redmond
- (20:53) - Halter's Expansion in the US and Australia
- (23:40) - How Halter's Virtual Fencing Works
- (27:00) - Solar-Powered Collars: Longevity and Warranty
- (27:20) - Subscription Model Explained
- (27:51) - Base Station Tower and Warranty
- (28:15) - Implementation Timeline for Ranches
- (28:53) - Focus on Beef Operations
- (29:47) - Onboarding and Installation Process
- (31:49) - Training Cows with Virtual Fences
- (33:31) - How Virtual Fences Work
- (38:45) - Collar Safety and Calf Management
- (41:39) - GPS Tracking and App Features
- (49:30) - Customer Service and Expansion
- (51:04) - Famous Four Questions
NOTE This file was generated by Descript
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 On today's episode, we have Theo Beaumont from Halter.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 Halter her does virtual fence.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 And if you're interested in that, this is episode for you.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: We will get started with the fast five.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:13 What's your name?
00:00:13 --> 00:00:14 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: My name is Theo Beaumont.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: And Theo, who do you work for?
00:00:18 --> 00:00:19 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I work for a company called Halter.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 We're a virtual fencing company based out of New Zealand.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: And you answer, you got our next question.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:26 Where are you located?
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 You're based out in New Zealand.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 Do you live in New Zealand?
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Technically yes, although I've spent most of the
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 last 12 months in the US covering quite a few different states in the
00:00:34 --> 00:00:38 West and I'll be moving over here full time from February, so excited
00:00:38 --> 00:00:39 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: here full time.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Have you already figured out where you're going to live?
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I am, I'm gonna be I'm gonna be just outside
00:00:45 --> 00:00:49 of Denver in Colorado we're putting our main HQ for the US over here
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 but yeah, really excited to be here, so thanks in advance for having me.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:53 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, very good.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 And where do you all provide coverage for your product?
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So Halter was founded in New Zealand originally about
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 eight years ago so we got coming up over 250, 000 cattle using the system now
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 in New Zealand, Australia, now the U.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:08 S.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 We're live in six different states in the U.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:11 S.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 as of today.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 And we'll be, we'll be available for, for the majority of states in the
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 West for, for very early next year.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: So when you, you talk about six states right
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 now, you're working to get more of the states mainly in the west?
00:01:25 --> 00:01:26 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yes, yeah, absolutely.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 That's the primary focus for us at this stage.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: And what countries are you available for outside
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 of Australia, New Zealand, and the U.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:35 S.?
00:01:36 --> 00:01:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Just those three.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:37 We've kept it simple.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 That's that's our top three.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:40 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Do you have any plans to move into some other countries?
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I think eventually, yeah, of course, we'll,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 we'll be looking, we'll be looking at Europe, South America, Canada.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 But at the moment, we just want to keep really focused on the US,
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 make sure we set things up really, really effectively over here.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 And then we can look at other countries when, when we need to.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, very good.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:57 Yeah.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 Cal: Welcome to the grazing grass podcast.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:03 The podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of grass-based
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 livestock producers, exploring regenerative practices that improve
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 the land animals and our lives.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 I'm your host, Cal Hardage and each week we'll dive into the journeys,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:18 challenges, and successes of producers like you, learning from
00:02:18 --> 00:02:24 their experiences, and inspiring each other to grow, and graze better.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 Whether you're a seasoned grazier or just getting started.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 This is the place for you.
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00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: So we talked a little bit about where it's
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 coverage, but we really haven't even talked about what the product is.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 I really want to cover that a little bit later, because I really want
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 to find out your path to Halter.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So, I guess, yeah, my, my journey into Halter was
00:04:05 --> 00:04:06 a bit of a, a bit of a whirlwind.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 I didn't I wasn't actually born on a, on a farm originally.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 I started working on a sheep and beef station not far from my
00:04:12 --> 00:04:16 home when I was about 13, fell in love with the industry was really
00:04:16 --> 00:04:16 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: A bunch of producers kind of
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 took me under their wing.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 Did that the whole way through high school.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:25 I studied agricultural science at Lincoln University, which is our main ag union and
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I was looking at the banking route
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 decided that wasn't quite for me.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 And I stumbled across Halter back in its very early days.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 Just when we had a couple of hundred collars on cows, very early stage startup.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 And that was about four and a half years ago.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 So it's been, it's been a whirlwind since then.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:43 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Very good.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 Do you see yourself at some point running your own animals?
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Right.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: You know, I'm not sure what direction life
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 is going to take me in with Halter, but I'd love to get to a point where
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 I could run, run and raise a bunch of my own cattle in New Zealand.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 I think that's just a really, really cool goal to have particularly
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 given, you know, whereabouts in New Zealand I'm usually based.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Where you live in New Zealand, is there
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 a lot of farms in that area?
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, there's an expression in New Zealand that
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 everybody has an uncle on a farm and it's,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:12 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: oh, okay.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: generally true, and for our US listeners,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 you'll have to forgive the lingo swap.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Everybody in New Zealand's a farmer, no matter if you have
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 crops or cattle or sheep.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:24 So, bear with me there, but Zealand's got maybe 40 million sheep, 10 million
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 cattle, and only about 5 million people.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 So if you love livestock and farming, New Zealand's your place.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: I have to say, New Zealand's on the
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 list of places I want to visit.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 I've not made it there yet, but the dairy industry over there
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 has fascinated me for decades.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Well, we certainly love visitors.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 We've been we've been fortunate enough to have a bunch of our US
00:05:47 --> 00:05:51 producers visit us over in New Zealand and yeah, we love visitors.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 Our farmers love having people to visit their systems, have a cup
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 of tea and show them around and they can see what we're doing.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Now when we, we're going to talk a little bit
00:05:59 --> 00:06:04 more about halter later, but halter gives us some advantages, especially
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 when we think about regenerative practices and moving your cattle.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 Were the stations you got to explore while you were in school,
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 were they rotating cows and using some regenerative practices?
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Absolutely.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 It's a really interesting kind of discussion, this one.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 New Zealand, just because of the way our systems work, the quantity of grass we
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 have, we've always rotationally grazed.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:31 You'd struggle to find a producer in the country that doesn't rotationally graze.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 It usually comes into how much rotating are they doing?
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 Are they shifting daily or weekly?
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 Set stocking, aside from it, you know, particular points of the
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 year, doesn't, doesn't really happen anymore back in New Zealand.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, that's very interesting.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:50 I've got a couple of New Zealand YouTube channels I watch, and I know they rotate,
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 but I didn't know how widespread that was.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:58 Now, one thing with that, Theo, I see the channels I follow, they're
00:06:58 --> 00:07:03 big into, I don't know about big, but they're using fertilizer and some
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 chemicals to get the forage they want.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:11 Are you seeing any kind of shift with chemical usage on that land over there?
00:07:12 --> 00:07:12 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: That's a good question.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 I think a lot of it depends on where in the bats in the country are,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 what type of system you're running.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:21 Soil testing is just sort of common bread and butter tool
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 across all systems in New Zealand.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:27 So we're constantly monitoring what's in our soil, what we're inputting and
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 what we're taking out of the soil.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:32 We've definitely seen the amount of nitrogen reduce heavily in the
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 last sort of five to eight years.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 And we've seen some really good, you know, benefits of that without too much sort
00:07:37 --> 00:07:41 of sacrifice from a productivity point of view, certainly from like a, from a
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 fertilizer point of view, we use it pretty commonly to make sure we're not depleting
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 our soils any more than they need to
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: From a chemical point of view, that use is absolutely
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 trying to decrease as costs have gone up, you know, we try to be really smart
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 around where we're using chemicals
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 and a lot of that's cost driven, but also there's just a really big drive
00:08:00 --> 00:08:04 from like a soil health standpoint, soil health, pasture quality.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:06 So
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 there's a strong sort of flow on appreciation there.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: I, I know on the channels I watch, seeing them,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:18 they're very deliberate and very calculated with fertilizer they apply,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 and like you said, they're getting soil tests, they know exactly What
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 they have and what they need to apply.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 It's very interesting on that.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:30 That fact because, maybe this is just us, when we used to do it,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 we just kind of shot in the dark.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 You know, said, well, it should help.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, I think we've been we've been fortunate
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 just to have the tools and the companies available to do that soil
00:08:40 --> 00:08:44 testing all the time and in a really cost effective fashion as well.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yeah, yeah.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 With halter starting over there,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 what was the, the goal in starting?
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 Let's, let's see how I want to word that, Theo.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:02 I think it's, it's interesting, coming from New Zealand, you're
00:09:02 --> 00:09:07 working with a smaller country, when you're rotating cows, it doesn't
00:09:07 --> 00:09:12 seem to me it would be large acreage of land they're rotating cows on.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 Now granted, I'm grazing smaller acreage, and I would love to have
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 some virtual fencing, because I think there's a lot of benefit.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:24 But, I'm a little surprised halter got started there as opposed to like in the
00:09:24 --> 00:09:31 Australian outback or western US where you've got these vast Ranges of land.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 Oh, yes.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I think it's a fair question.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:37 And I think if you look at the product, You can really tell
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 that we've been designed a bit with New Zealand originally.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 Like I said, New Zealand's got a lot of cattle.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 There's no shortage of them.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 Where we started was actually the dairy space.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:49 What kind of defines New Zealand's dairy systems is that our cows
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 live on grass their whole lives.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 You know, we might put them on strip grazing cover crop for a
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 little bit through winter, but in general, grass makes up the
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 vast proportion of their diet.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 A lot of that ground is irrigated, so we're able to actually stock
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 really heavily on quite small tracts of, tracts of land.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 So, you know, for example you know, a hundred, a hundred hectare property
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 could be running three, 350 head on it.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:16 So, I think what that usually comes with is a lot of time spent walking
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 behind cows, putting up hot wires.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:22 Very heavy labour investment and that was probably one of the initial drivers
00:10:22 --> 00:10:26 for Halter and what that kind of morphed into, which is our wider company mission,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 which is how do we make pasture based systems more profitable, but also more
00:10:31 --> 00:10:35 sustainable, and, and grass really is our biggest lever for both of those.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:40 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: When we when I think about that, I grew up on a dairy and
00:10:40 --> 00:10:48 I talked just recently we had Ted Miller on Episode 190 he was on the podcast and
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 I believe he's using halter You And he was saying there were some really nice
00:10:52 --> 00:10:57 benefits to moving cows, and it sounded like, I think he was the one telling me.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 You know, we always went, one of us had to go get cows and bring them to
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 the barn for each milking, while the other one got the milk barn ready.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:11 And he was able to do that through the virtual fencing component, which
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 I thought was, that was really neat.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, I think that's probably you know, when people
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 look at us as a product, that's probably the bit that usually amazes the most.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 If you're a dairy farmer in New Zealand, Aussie, or the U.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 S., like at Ted's place right now in Louisiana if you wanted to bring your
00:11:25 --> 00:11:29 cows in for tomorrow morning's milking you could just pre set that up on your phone.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 And then, let's say you want the cows at the shed at 5 o'clock in the morning,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 well, you arrive at the shed and the cows are going to be waiting there for you.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:41 The collars will have guided them out of their pasture all the way down the laneway
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 to the milking parlour or milking shed.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 And I'll tell you what, I've seen
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Which I think is amazing.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:51 I think pulling in at the barn at four in the morning and the cows be there when
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 you're arriving would be really nice.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: it a lot of times now and it
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 never gets old every time.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 It gives me a little bit of excitement every time, so
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 it's it's very special to see.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 And yeah, just what, what, what that has done for like the general, general
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 day to day lives of our producers has been, has been pretty powerful.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yeah, because, so when we dairied, if, if
00:12:12 --> 00:12:16 one of us was doing the milking, no one else was available, they had to come
00:12:16 --> 00:12:20 down 30 minutes, 45 minutes ahead of time to get cows to the barn, then get
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 in the barn and get everything set up.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 So I, I think you said earlier you all started with dairy
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 industry kind of in mind.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, so dairy's where we started.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 Our CEO and founder, Craig Piggott, he grew up on a, on a small, you know,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 pasture based dairy system in New Zealand.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 An absolutely classic sort of size and scale for, you know, dairy
00:12:39 --> 00:12:39 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: For where he grew up in.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:44 So I think that naturally was a really good starting point for us.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:48 Yet the first sort of six and a half years of Halter's life was purely
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 focused on on the dairy side of things because it's such a big part of New
00:12:51 --> 00:12:55 Zealand's, you know, agricultural industry and our entire economy,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: So, after those initial years, did you all
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 What was the plan with the focus?
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 Did you all go ahead and move into Australia?
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 Was that a really quick move?
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 Or did you focus on going to beef cattle in New Zealand?
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: but at both.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 So we're fortunate as a company that we have such a big market in New Zealand.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 There wasn't this huge rush to get offshore.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:23 And I think that was really beneficial for keeping us really focused on building
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 the product as best we could, you know, working through some of those early
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 challenges that any new company faces
00:13:28 --> 00:13:33 and really honing in on, you know, how are we getting the most value for our farms?
00:13:33 --> 00:13:37 So initially we did a dairy expansion over to Tasmania, and that was
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 maybe two and a half years ago.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 Tasmania is quite a similar environment to New Zealand
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: and also a lot of dairy cows.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 So we launched over there.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 That was fantastic for us.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:51 And then about 12 12 to 15 months ago, we, we built and launched our,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 our beef product in New Zealand.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 New Zealand obviously has a big beef industry across breeding cows, but
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 also finishing, finishing beef as well.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:03 But really the, the big and high level goal for our beef product was the US
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 market the wider Australian market.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 There's a lot of
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 motivation to be over here in that space.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 And I think as a company, we were always really excited
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 about when we could do beef.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 We just wanted to make sure we're doing it at the right time when
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 we could do the job properly.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 We had a really good product and a really good team on the ground to make
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 sure if we're going to do the job, we were going to do it really well.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes, yeah.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 And as we talk about those large ruminants, when did you all
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 dive into any small ruminants?
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: We get this question a lot being Kiwis, you
00:14:32 --> 00:14:36 know, with 40 million sheep kicking around our hills, everyone asks, are
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 we going to do a call of a sheep?
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40 The answer is at least for the foreseeable future, absolutely not.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: you know, we're, we're purely focused on cows.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 There's a lot of cows out there, so I think that's more than enough to
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 keep us busy for the next wee while.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: You know, and I think there's a lot to be
00:14:53 --> 00:14:58 said about maintaining your focus in the correct way without, you know,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 getting too many irons in the fire.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 My wife likes to tell me every time I have a new idea you
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 have enough going on right now.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:09 So yeah, focus in on your product and once that's all going better,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 you can look at other things.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:15 But right now, work, work on the path you have ahead of you.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: We think so.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 I think you know, we don't have any other products.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 Virtual fencing is, everything we have.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 So everybody at Halter is focused on nothing but that.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 And I think, you know, when we look forwards, you know, our, our company
00:15:28 --> 00:15:32 mission is pretty lofty and, you know, that's really to drive super meaningful
00:15:32 --> 00:15:36 change for the future of, you know, pasture based ag systems globally.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 You know, that's not a quick process.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 So for us, we want to see virtual fencing as a tool to get us there.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:44 So let's stay really focused on that virtual fencing piece in cattle.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 And then that's going to be the best, best way for us to achieve that goal.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: You've been available in New Zealand
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 for the longest time, obviously.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:59 How has the reception been there, and how has the rollout gone?
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Look, it hasn't been without challenges.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 You know, you're, you're a growing company or a startup, you know, you
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 get challenges every single day.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:12 I think when, when the concept for Halter was sort of first put across, you know,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 there was a lot of skepticism as you can imagine, but there was also a lot of
00:16:15 --> 00:16:20 excitement there's a lot of challenges in New Zealand's ag space labor, costs
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 and there's a heap of challenges there.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 And I think everyone sort of saw Halter as a way that it could,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 you know, really changed the game.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:32 However, you know, being really early, you get your initial skeptics and that's okay.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:36 So I think for us, it was around, you know, get enough feet on the ground
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 initially, and then and you're starting to build up that trust in the market.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 So there has been challenges.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 The dairy industry in New Zealand has gone through some really big issues
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 and challenges with, with prices.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 But overall, we're
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 incredibly proud of how it's gone.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 You know, we've got over 200, 000 dairy cows.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 New Zealand using the system.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 And all of those have really come in the last, you know, three and a half years.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So while I wouldn't say we're perfect, we still
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 have things we can learn and do better.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 And, you know, we can continue to build more trust in the market.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 We're really proud of what we've done.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 And I'm just so lucky to have been able to work with such
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 good producers from day one.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 Another question on your New Zealand market before we really
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 dive more into closer to me.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 With your, your rollout there and getting started, there's going to be hurdles.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 We all know that.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:28 What is a, a stumbling block that you all overcame that you, you look back and
00:17:28 --> 00:17:32 say, that was, that really helped us?
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 Ha
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: to start?
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 I know how long we've been here
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: ha ha
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: um,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Recording is going, so just
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 take
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 off.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 Ha ha
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: plenty on there.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 To be honest, the biggest one that actually comes to mind, and there's,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 there's heaps I could choose from, but I'm going to pick this one
00:17:47 --> 00:17:51 was really getting targeted on what the value proposition was.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 And then as a company, what do we need to most focus on?
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 So
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 often when people first hear about Halter, they immediately jump to labor.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 They're like, fantastic.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 No one has to walk cows to the shed.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 No one has to go put up fences.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 Save all this time in labor.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 I've got a heap of pain, you know, in that part of my business.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 It's expensive.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 It's hard to retain labor.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:15 So then for a while, you know, as a company, we really focused
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 on that and we sort of got caught up in this talking about labor.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 A lot of the focus was on labor.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 But then when we actually had a bit of a realization that.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 You know, at its, at its core principles.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 And that's first principles halter is just a tool to change your
00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 grazing management while in New Zealand, you know, 80 percent of your
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 profitability, give or take is usually dictated by your grazing management.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 So we had a real, real big, like epiphany almost as a company and realized we
00:18:41 --> 00:18:45 really need to double down on pasture, what the value of pasture was, and it
00:18:45 --> 00:18:49 wasn't so much around how are you grazing currently with polywire or hot wire.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:53 It was around if you had unlimited fences, what would you do?
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 That was the biggest sort of, you know.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:59 Breakthrough moment for us is really doubling down on pasture, what that
00:18:59 --> 00:19:04 meant, and then consequently really angling the product to focus so
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 heavily on that pasture side of things.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 So it was a really interesting stumbling block to come across.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 You know, we didn't figure it out overnight, but I'm really
00:19:11 --> 00:19:15 stoked that we did and it's been a big game changer for us.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah, because that, it gives you the ability to
00:19:17 --> 00:19:23 manage your, your grass much more intensively without the additional labor.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:27 Labor comes into it, but yeah, you're, you're managing your grass even better.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: what I really like about that is, you know, pasture
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 management isn't just unique to dairy.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 It's across beef systems as well.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 So I think as we start to look offshore, and particularly it's found at the beef
00:19:38 --> 00:19:42 market, that focus on grazing management is going to serve us really well.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:47 Theo, it's time we transitioned to our overgrazing section sponsored by Redmond.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:51 Speaker 2: At Redmond, we know that you thrive when your animals do.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:55 That's why it's essential to fill the gaps in your herd's nutrition
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00:20:03 --> 00:20:07 catalyst in optimizing the nutrients your animals get from their forage.
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00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 to help that your animals prefer.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:20 This gives your herd the ability to naturally regulate their
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 mineral consumption as they graze.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:27 Our minerals won't just help you improve the health of your animals,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:33 but will also help you naturally build soil fertility so you can grow more
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 nutrient dense pasture year after year.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:40 Nourish your animals, your soil, and your life with Redmond.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 Learn more at redmondagriculture.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 com
00:20:45 --> 00:20:49 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: We're going to dive deeper into, to Halter as what's
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 available in the US and Australia.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 So Halter, as I mentioned, you're doing New Zealand company originally we've
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 always been really excited about the U.
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 S.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:02 market quite a lot of our investment as a company has come out of the U.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 S., so there was always a really strong alignment to get on the ground over here.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:08 First though, we had to come and learn about your systems so that's what I've
00:21:08 --> 00:21:11 been doing for sort of the last 12 months.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:14 I've been fortunate enough to visit a heap of ranches right across the West.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 Everyone's made me feel very welcome.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19 Just trying to learn as much as we can about your systems, how
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 they vary between states, how it varies from New Zealand.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 To make sure for a product side of things, you know, we're giving you a
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 tool that's going to be really impactful.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 So that was step one.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 Step two was actually getting some ranches live.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 So we launched our first ranch about six months ago.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 Our first one was up in Oregon.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:41 And since then we've, we've got ranches live across Oregon, California, Montana,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 Colorado, Kansas, Texas Louisiana.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 And, and there'll be a heap more states to come sort of in
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 January and February next year.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: oh yes.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:54 And, and you mentioned this a little bit earlier, you've, you've
00:21:54 --> 00:21:58 got those states, the other states are coming pretty quick, quickly.
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 How are you identifying what states you want to add?
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 And what's that process to get a new state online?
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, there's, there's a few moving parts to that.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:10 I think, you know, usually we really like to try to spend some time in that
00:22:10 --> 00:22:13 state to learn about the systems and figure out, Hey, is this a good fit?
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: You know, commercially, there's easy
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19 levers you can look at, like cattle numbers in certain states.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 You can probably tell looking at those states I listed off.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:25 You know, they're all big cattle states and rightly so we have to think really,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 you know, efficiently as a business.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 When we do go into a new state, we, we really like to have someone from
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33 Holton Live on the ground in that state.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 We're big
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 leaders in coming up the driveway.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:39 So hiring a team in all those states is really important and
00:22:39 --> 00:22:42 something we take really seriously so that we can provide really good.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:46 You know, customer service to our ranches once they've got halter,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 there's always a few little logistical things to figure out with shipping
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 and, you know, new states and
00:22:51 --> 00:22:54 various laws and bits and pieces, but we've got that pretty dialed in now.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:57 So, I'd say, you know, if we decided tomorrow that we
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 want to get a ranch live and.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 Nevada.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 We could make that happen pretty quickly.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:04 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: oh yeah, yeah, is the same.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 Are you all available completely across Australia?
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 Or are you in certain territories there?
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So Australia at the moment, we're just
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 available in Tasmania and Queensland.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 We will look
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, OK,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: spread out across other parts of Australia in
00:23:17 --> 00:23:20 due course, but again, just keeping focused at the moment, not, not trying
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 to run before we can walk over there.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 And it's a, it's a big old bit of ground.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 Yes.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: is.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:30 I, I think there's, there's a lot more hurdles in some of those vast areas there
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 than what you would find out in Western U.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 S.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 So I can see why.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 Or the.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:39 I can see your path there and why you're going there.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 Let's, let's talk actually about the product and what it
00:23:42 --> 00:23:46 looks like for a farmer who, or rancher that's going to do this.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:54 You've got a collar on a cow, and it's, it's got GPS and solar.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:57 Do they have anything else they have to put in place?
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 Does it have a base unit, a tower?
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yes.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 Yeah, there's a few, there's a few pits there.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 So yeah, you're absolutely right.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 Every cow gets a collar.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 It's very own collar.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 It's solar powered, which is great.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 There's no batteries to change.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 Once they go on, they stay on.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 So that's really important.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:17 And we put up base stations around a ranch or a property as well.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:20 That uses a, that puts its own network out over a property
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 that pulls all the data up.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 off the collars
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 the whole time.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:27 So why that's been really valuable for us in in more rural parts of
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30 the world is that we don't need any cell service to operate in.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:34 So if you're on a ranch and you've got no or very limited cell
00:24:34 --> 00:24:37 service it's not going to be a restriction for you coming on board.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:43 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: So if that's using like Wi Fi technology so you
00:24:43 --> 00:24:47 can connect back to the base, are you working with some line of sight there?
00:24:47 --> 00:24:52 Or how many stations or towers do you have to have to cover an area?
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: It really depends on the area.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 The towers just have to see another
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 tower.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: make a big difference.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, you got it.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 So the tower just needs to be able to see another tower.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:03 So it forms a seamless sort of mesh network across the property.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: And we typically, we don't leave dead spots.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:10 We're shooting for 100 percent coverage at all times.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 And yeah, the terrain is really the biggest then that
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 influences that coverage.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:18 So if you're a dead flat ranch with no trees, well, you know, you might get five,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 seven thousand acres off one tower alone.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 If you go up the
00:25:22 --> 00:25:26 Rockies into Forest Service, BLM ground, for example, heap of trees,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 that's not going to be as high.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 So we basically have to just customize it to every single ranch.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 And we've got a pretty efficient process to work that through.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 We just need to look at some maps and
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:45 So, based upon that, a tower is going to cover a few miles of terrain,
00:25:45 --> 00:25:49 depending up on the, depending on the terrain, if you've got nice flat land.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 Makes a big difference, yeah.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:54 Now you, you mentioned you're shooting for 100 percent coverage.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:58 You get out west, you got some deep gullies.
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 I don't even know what they're called in the west.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 Gullies is what I'd call them here.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 And draws.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:09 How, how's coverage on those type areas or have you all experienced too much of that?
00:26:10 --> 00:26:13 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Unfortunately for us, New Zealand's got a big
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 line of mountains running right down the middle of our, middle of the
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 South Island, which is where I live.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:22 So a lot of our sheep and beef systems run in very steep, difficult
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yes.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I'm very glad that we have experienced a bunch
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 of that before we came over to the U.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 S.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:31 So, no that sort of big mountainous terrain, while it's not as easy as
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 flat ground doesn't scare us and
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 yeah.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: workable, just needs a bit, bit of thought put behind it.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 Same,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: yeah.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 Yeah.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 You mentioned.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 A tower, base station.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:45 Are those one part that's together?
00:26:45 --> 00:26:49 Or are we talking a tower out somewhere and a base station in a barn?
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 Or
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: same word, same,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: it's just a singular tower
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 that's solar powered as well.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 So you just,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, it's solar powered.
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: that's it.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 So it just goes anywhere that we need to put it.
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 And yeah, however many you need around your property.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:08 And you said the collars are solar powered, so you don't have to
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 worry about replacing batteries.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:14 So that's going to extend the life of those, I would assume.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:17 But what's the lifetime of those collars?
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, so we designed the collars
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 to last about five years.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh,
00:27:20 --> 00:27:23 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: but because we pair it with a subscription model
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 the warranty is always on halter.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:28 So if anything, if it did go wrong with those collars that's, that's on halter.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:34 So is it a, a lease on the collars and if there's any problem, you
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 all take care of the problem.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: It's actually, it's similar, but
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 it's actually subscription.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 So we
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: collars, it's theirs.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 But yeah, if anything does go wrong with the collars, if one breaks,
00:27:43 --> 00:27:46 or there's a problem with one, not that it's particularly common
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49 yeah, that that's, that's halter's problem and we, we sort that.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:56 And then they, the ranch is also purchasing the base station tower.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Essentially, yes, yeah,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah.
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 Yeah.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:04 And is there a lifetime on that or is that good for foreseeable future?
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: for serval future, and again, the
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 warranties, the warranties on halter.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:11 Obviously, if you, if you drive into it and snap in half that, that's on the,
00:28:11 --> 00:28:14 that's on the rancher, but anything internal that, that's halter's problem.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:19 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: so a ranch reaches out to you and they're in one of
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 those states that you guys are already in.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:26 How long is the process till they can have it going on their ranch?
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Good question.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 Yeah.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 In New Zealand, we only need about four weeks notice.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:33 In the US, because it's a bit newer, it's a bit further away, we really
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 need about eight weeks notice.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 As you can imagine, there's, there's busier times of year.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:40 April, May are going to be super busy for us when everyone's
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 bringing their cows in anyway.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: yeah.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So I think, yeah, minimum eight weeks, but you know,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 the more notice we can get, the better.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:49 You know, always we're taking a lot of pride in, and if a producer really wants
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 halter and they need it by a particular time frame, we will, we will move heaven
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 and earth to try and make that happen
00:28:54 --> 00:28:58 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah, and as you're expanding in those states, are
00:28:58 --> 00:29:04 you focused just on cattle or is it beef more or dairy more or just cattle equally?
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Good question.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:09 I'd say that just given the market size, you know, 97 percent of the focus
00:29:09 --> 00:29:12 will be on beef cow calf operations.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:16 Unfortunately, there's just isn't a huge amount of grazing dairies in the US.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:19 We're fortunate enough to have Ted down in Louisiana, which is great.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:22 We're in chats with a bunch more grazing dairies, but I'm going to say that the
00:29:22 --> 00:29:27 primary focus is on beef, but obviously if there are, you know, pasture based
00:29:27 --> 00:29:30 grazing dairies where the product is going to be really valuable, we, we won't,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 you know, we won't just ignore them.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:36 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Right, because we we've got so many confined dairies
00:29:36 --> 00:29:40 and that confinement, they got all kinds of other worries to worry about.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, and I don't think the solar is
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 probably not going to go very well in a confinement dairy, so.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah, right.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 Yeah.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:54 So, you get the collars in, is that something that a rancher has someone
00:29:54 --> 00:29:58 from Halter coming out, putting them on, is that on the rancher to put them on?
00:29:58 --> 00:30:01 How's that process to initially get started?
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yep, I can I can outline that.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:07 So I guess you know, after you've met with one of our team and you've decided, yep,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:11 we're going to go ahead with HALTER we're aiming for a particular month, we'll have
00:30:11 --> 00:30:14 taken all your ranch maps, we'll have mapped them all, we'll have got it set
00:30:14 --> 00:30:18 up in an app inside the HALTER app, and we'll have drawn in all your features, all
00:30:18 --> 00:30:21 your fence lines, watering points, etc.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 Yep.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:25 The producers are going to get access to that app and then they're
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 going to go through an onboarding process and that's typically like
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 two weeks before collars turn up.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:33 So that's us training them and their staff how to use the app, how it works
00:30:33 --> 00:30:38 as a tool, and really making sure when they do collar they've got a really good
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 understanding of what they're doing.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 Collars and tails arrive on the ranch.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:44 Ranches go and self install the towers.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 First one usually takes about an hour.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 After that they take about 20 minutes.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:50 They're just designed for one person to be able to put up and down.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 So that's one part of it.
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 We'll be able to see remotely that the whole network is
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 live and we're good to go.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:59 For collaring, you know, that, that's the most exciting day.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 That's, that's Christmas morning.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:03 Typically this is just driven by the ranchers and producers.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:07 You know, there are occasions where we'll have people on the ground which, which can
00:31:07 --> 00:31:11 be great for our linens, but what we've found is ranchers know their cattle best
00:31:12 --> 00:31:15 and tends not, you know, to spook in the least if it's just them dealing with them.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:20 So collars will arrive, let's say you're collaring a 300 head, you'll have them
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 in the corrals, you collar them in a.
00:31:22 --> 00:31:24 In a shoot typically with backing bars.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:29 You put a collar on a cow, you beep it with the app on your phone, then you type
00:31:29 --> 00:31:33 in the ear tag number on your phone, and that assigns that collar to that cow.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 Off she goes.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:38 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: And then prior to collaring the ranch with their
00:31:38 --> 00:31:42 account manager will have worked out a really specific, individualized training
00:31:42 --> 00:31:46 program for their own system, so that they can immediately go into that, you
00:31:46 --> 00:31:49 know, two week, typically sort of two week training period, post collaring.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:54 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Let's jump back to the training for the
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 farmer before he gets the collars.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 Is that going to be an in person training?
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 Is that a Zoom training?
00:32:00 --> 00:32:03 Or is that recorded videos for that producer?
00:32:04 --> 00:32:06 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Combination, but and sometimes we have to tailor it for
00:32:06 --> 00:32:11 the specific ranch, but the majority is a Zoom, Zoom session online, you know, it's
00:32:11 --> 00:32:15 not quite face to face, but it's about as good as face to face as we can make it.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:18 So we've got a, we've got a specialized team whose entire job is
00:32:18 --> 00:32:22 onboarding our our producers and it's something we take really seriously.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:25 We always joke that sometimes training the producers can be
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 harder than training the cows.
00:32:26 --> 00:32:29 So we want to invest a lot of time and effort into that to make sure
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 people feel really comfortable.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:34 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yeah, I, I would suspect that's the case.
00:32:35 --> 00:32:39 Now, on training the cows, you, you mentioned a couple weeks, so you
00:32:39 --> 00:32:44 all work with the farmer, design the original, or the, the two week training
00:32:44 --> 00:32:48 period, or however long it needs for those cows to get used to the system.
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: That's correct.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:52 And when I say we work with the rancher, it's because every ranch
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 operates a little bit differently.
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 And, you know, we need to tailor that training to, to
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 match how that ranch operates.
00:32:58 --> 00:33:01 Particularly as we're going in the US, we're learning more and more about that.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 So there's more focus on it.
00:33:03 --> 00:33:06 And it's just to make sure that, you know, training is really important.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 So we want to set the cows up to succeed.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:11 We want to make sure it's really easy for the rancher, while as easy
00:33:11 --> 00:33:13 as it can be to make sure that we're getting the right outcome there.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:17 So, For example, if you always, if you always shift your cattle
00:33:17 --> 00:33:20 with horses, we're going to incorporate horses into the training.
00:33:20 --> 00:33:23 But if you only use four wheelers, we're just going to use four wheelers.
00:33:23 --> 00:33:27 So this is that process of weaning the cattle off what they're used to
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 and weaning them onto the collars.
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:33:31 --> 00:33:35 Let's, let's talk just a moment how the collars work to keep the
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 cows where they're supposed to be.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yes.
00:33:38 --> 00:33:40 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: When you turn them out there, I'm
00:33:40 --> 00:33:45 assuming, while in my conversations, there's some feedback for the cow.
00:33:45 --> 00:33:47 Maybe, maybe auditory feedback.
00:33:48 --> 00:33:51 Does it also vibrate for them, or is it just auditory?
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: No, there's three cues that we use.
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 So we've
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay.
00:33:54 --> 00:33:57 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: auditory cues and then we've got a low
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 energy electric pulse and then we've got vibration as well.
00:33:59 --> 00:34:01 So all three are used quite
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah, it's an electric pulse, yeah.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 Okay.
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, you got it.
00:34:04 --> 00:34:07 The primary cue is the sound, and this is, this is really important.
00:34:07 --> 00:34:10 So, well, if I was a cow and I was walking towards the screen, and
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 we'll pretend it's a virtual fence.
00:34:13 --> 00:34:16 I'm going to be getting beeps that increase in volume and frequency as I get
00:34:16 --> 00:34:21 closer, so I'm learning to associate that that increase in volume means getting
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 closer to a fence, a little bit, a
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 little bit like your car backing into a brick wall,
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yeah.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:29 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: get right up to that fence, and I'm talking super close.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:33 I'm going to get beeps in either ear, so we beep the cows in the right ear, turn
00:34:33 --> 00:34:35 them left, left ear, turn them right.
00:34:36 --> 00:34:39 So we've got that individual directional guidance for each animal,
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 turning it away from the fence.
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 The actual virtual fence isn't a hard line.
00:34:44 --> 00:34:47 You know, don't, don't think of it like a polywire where they touch it
00:34:47 --> 00:34:50 and then suddenly get, get get, you know, a shock off the, off the fence.
00:34:51 --> 00:34:55 With Halter, how it's actually working is the cow's allowed to step over the fence,
00:34:55 --> 00:35:00 the collar recognizes that she's out, tries to guide her back into zone, again,
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 using the beeps and lifter right here.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:05 And if she's over for too long, that's when she'll get that, that other cue,
00:35:05 --> 00:35:07 which is the pulse to say, right, hurry.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 Move back over.
00:35:09 --> 00:35:12 The really key thing for us there is that, you know, you put this foreign
00:35:12 --> 00:35:15 object down a cow's neck, suddenly she can no longer see a fence.
00:35:15 --> 00:35:20 So, it's up to us to make sure the cow understands exactly where that virtual
00:35:20 --> 00:35:24 fence is, and it's really predictable and really consistent for her at all times.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:30 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: so I'm assuming that the training process you're going to
00:35:30 --> 00:35:35 have either a poly wire because the cows are broke to it or we're working with a
00:35:35 --> 00:35:41 Solid fence that's going to to just train them along that fence So when they're
00:35:41 --> 00:35:46 close to it, they're getting beeped at and if they get too close Then maybe they get
00:35:46 --> 00:35:50 shocked and it's eventually you're gonna move the fence away and they're gonna
00:35:50 --> 00:35:52 have the ability to go across that line
00:35:52 --> 00:35:54 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Essentially, yeah, you could be in my job, mate.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:59 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Well, wow, boy, there's not too many jobs I
00:35:59 --> 00:36:01 can do well, so no worries, Theo.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:06 When, I think it's interesting, one thing you said there that I didn't
00:36:06 --> 00:36:12 realize was they're getting auditory feedback on left or right side to,
00:36:12 --> 00:36:14 so that they know which way to go,
00:36:14 --> 00:36:16 or which way to move away from.
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Absolutely.
00:36:17 --> 00:36:21 And that's just about, again, it's that predictability for the cow, you know,
00:36:21 --> 00:36:26 so for example, if we were going to shift cows, so let's say, let's say at
00:36:26 --> 00:36:30 150 acre pasture, for argument's sake, and you want to split it into thirds,
00:36:30 --> 00:36:33 so you could rotate a bit harder and it shift them once every two days.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:38 If you said, right, I want them to shift out of that first part of that paddock
00:36:38 --> 00:36:43 at four o'clock this afternoon, when that timer goes off and you've just preset this
00:36:43 --> 00:36:48 on your phone, each cow gets a combination of sound to help face her head in the
00:36:48 --> 00:36:50 right direction of where she needs to go.
00:36:50 --> 00:36:53 So understanding, Hey, this is where I need to go.
00:36:54 --> 00:36:57 And then the colors vibrate and the vibration is the positive cue that
00:36:57 --> 00:36:59 they associate with moving forwards.
00:36:59 --> 00:37:03 They associate that with right, fresh feed, time to move, so it's the sound
00:37:03 --> 00:37:07 in each ear and the vibration working together to help persuade that cow
00:37:07 --> 00:37:10 to move into their next area, and then it would close off behind them.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:14 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, okay, so, so you're getting the auditory feedback
00:37:14 --> 00:37:17 when you're trying to turn, or, or move.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:20 And then the vibration is when they're facing the right way and
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 they just need to walk forward.
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: you got it.
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, interesting.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:26 I didn't realize that about the vibration.
00:37:26 --> 00:37:30 I thought that might be another cue that was between the
00:37:30 --> 00:37:32 sound and the electric pulse.
00:37:32 --> 00:37:35 But it's actually a positive thing.
00:37:35 --> 00:37:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: It is, and I think that's really important because,
00:37:37 --> 00:37:40 you know, we all know cattle, if we try to spook them to move them, they don't,
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 they don't feel that happily about it.
00:37:42 --> 00:37:46 So, that vibration has always been just such a like fundamental part of the
00:37:46 --> 00:37:50 collar and why it's able to work so well with the cows is that they trust it.
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah.
00:37:52 --> 00:37:54 I really like that positive aspect of it
00:37:55 --> 00:37:57 that I hadn't thought about that I really like on that.
00:37:57 --> 00:38:01 When you're initially getting these collars on, That's something foreign
00:38:01 --> 00:38:03 around a cow's neck and stuff.
00:38:03 --> 00:38:08 Is there anything that a person has to watch out for during that initial period?
00:38:09 --> 00:38:11 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I think to make sure we're putting the collars
00:38:11 --> 00:38:14 on correctly, we want to put them on snug, but to be honest, I mean,
00:38:14 --> 00:38:19 this is a collar here, you know, there's an iPhone for comparison.
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 They're pretty small, super lightweight.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 They're really comfortable around a cow's neck.
00:38:23 --> 00:38:25 And I always do find amazing is how quickly they get used to them.
00:38:26 --> 00:38:30 But my recommendation would just be make sure you've really Go on and ask
00:38:30 --> 00:38:33 your questions around what you need to do to collar most successfully.
00:38:33 --> 00:38:35 Make sure you've got a few pairs of hands to help you.
00:38:35 --> 00:38:37 So that, you know, we're putting them on as efficiently as we can.
00:38:37 --> 00:38:39 We're not leaving them standing on concrete in the yards for
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 any longer than necessary.
00:38:41 --> 00:38:43 And we can get them back out in the pasture and behind
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 their first virtual fence.
00:38:45 --> 00:38:48 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Is there any concern about if they're grazing
00:38:48 --> 00:38:52 in a wooded area and getting a limb between their collar and neck?
00:38:52 --> 00:38:58 Is that, is that a real concern or is those collars snug enough that's
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 not really that big a concern?
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I think it's a bit of both.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:04 I, I don't think it's, it's not a huge concern from the collar side.
00:39:04 --> 00:39:06 I mean, the collar is not going to break.
00:39:06 --> 00:39:09 And it's designed so that it will, it will come off if it
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 gets caught up on something.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 So it will tear
00:39:11 --> 00:39:13 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: so there's a safety release on it?
00:39:13 --> 00:39:15 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: 100 percent there's, there's two.
00:39:15 --> 00:39:19 So first it would tear between the holes and the buckle so that the
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 mucin and the cow can slip out of it.
00:39:20 --> 00:39:22 Second, the whole collar will snap.
00:39:22 --> 00:39:25 So that's just like a fundamental Part of, you know, how the
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 collar has been designed.
00:39:26 --> 00:39:31 I think, you know, if you're looking at super dense timber country, like forest
00:39:31 --> 00:39:35 service ground, Waban mountains, yeah, that concern is probably going to be a
00:39:35 --> 00:39:38 little bit higher, but I think, you know, we've worked really hard to make sure
00:39:38 --> 00:39:40 we're mitigating that as best we can.
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh yeah.
00:39:41 --> 00:39:43 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: And, yeah, it's not something we've
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 seen an issue with so far.
00:39:46 --> 00:39:48 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: And we've talked about putting them on cows
00:39:48 --> 00:39:49 and getting them trained to cows.
00:39:50 --> 00:39:52 Do calves have to have them?
00:39:52 --> 00:39:55 At what point does a calf need their own collar?
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, it's a fair question.
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 There's two sides to this.
00:39:58 --> 00:40:01 With calves, we actually don't want to collar them quite deliberately.
00:40:01 --> 00:40:04 The reason being is, is we want those calves to be able
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 to creep feed ahead of mum.
00:40:06 --> 00:40:08 You know, particularly those last three months when they start
00:40:08 --> 00:40:10 really competing with mum for feed.
00:40:11 --> 00:40:15 With a virtual fence, if we can just contain mum behind, but let all the
00:40:15 --> 00:40:18 calves feed ahead, we're going to really boost those weaning weights.
00:40:18 --> 00:40:20 I guess that's one kind of really big thing.
00:40:20 --> 00:40:23 Large benefit of the virtual fence in the first place.
00:40:24 --> 00:40:29 If you are doing grass finished beef, for example And you want to finish a
00:40:29 --> 00:40:32 bunch of those Those animals yourself.
00:40:32 --> 00:40:35 We we typically will only collar from about eight months and up and we find
00:40:35 --> 00:40:41 any any young in that Too difficult to train but eight months and up is pretty
00:40:41 --> 00:40:45 normal for us to collar collar and train That that age bracket of animals
00:40:47 --> 00:40:49 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: when we think about cows eight months and
00:40:49 --> 00:40:54 up, you're dealing with a large size range from a calf to a bull.
00:40:54 --> 00:40:59 Are you collaring bulls and do your collars work well
00:40:59 --> 00:41:00 in those different sizes?
00:41:01 --> 00:41:02 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: They certainly work well in all
00:41:02 --> 00:41:04 different sizes of cattle out there.
00:41:04 --> 00:41:06 We've got a heap of different breeds.
00:41:06 --> 00:41:08 And that's, that's part and parcel.
00:41:08 --> 00:41:09 You just make the strap a bit longer.
00:41:10 --> 00:41:13 We do not collar breeding mature bulls.
00:41:13 --> 00:41:15 It's not necessarily because we don't think we could hold them.
00:41:15 --> 00:41:19 It's really just physiologically, necks are bigger than heads,
00:41:20 --> 00:41:20 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah.
00:41:21 --> 00:41:21 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: the gun.
00:41:21 --> 00:41:24 So, yeah, it's not something that we, we, we don't call it bulls.
00:41:24 --> 00:41:27 We find the bulls smaller than the cows anyway.
00:41:27 --> 00:41:30 And ideally, because we're going to be hopefully containing the cows in a smaller
00:41:30 --> 00:41:34 area the bulls are going to service, service the mortar a lot more effectively
00:41:34 --> 00:41:38 and not lose them particularly in, you know, more extensive timber country.
00:41:39 --> 00:41:42 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: When you're, we've talked about that
00:41:42 --> 00:41:46 we're able to move them, you're able to move them from your, your phone,
00:41:46 --> 00:41:48 shift them to a different paddock.
00:41:48 --> 00:41:55 Is that phone app, you pull it up, is that showing you a location of every caller?
00:41:55 --> 00:41:58 And what other information does it give you?
00:41:58 --> 00:42:00 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yes, there's a, there's a few bits to that, but yeah,
00:42:00 --> 00:42:04 I guess first and foremost Halter will always show you the live GPS location of
00:42:04 --> 00:42:06 every single cow that has a collar on it.
00:42:06 --> 00:42:07 So I think.
00:42:07 --> 00:42:10 You know, the first bit of, the first really cool thing about Halter is you
00:42:10 --> 00:42:13 can see your, you can see your farm from anywhere, you know, you could be
00:42:14 --> 00:42:18 in a different state, you could be, you know, your kid's football game, you could
00:42:18 --> 00:42:22 pull up your phone and say, hey, my cows are where they need to be, fantastic.
00:42:22 --> 00:42:26 There is a bunch of different information that producers can see in the app.
00:42:26 --> 00:42:28 That does vary between dairy versus beef.
00:42:28 --> 00:42:31 Dairy, there's a heap of features in there that we'll probably
00:42:31 --> 00:42:32 take too long to talk about.
00:42:33 --> 00:42:35 For beef, it's a little bit more stripped back.
00:42:35 --> 00:42:38 But you can see all of your historical grazings, you can search for a cow at
00:42:38 --> 00:42:42 any point, you can see all the live locations and there's a heap, there's a
00:42:42 --> 00:42:46 heap built in there as well which I think producers always really enjoy seeing as
00:42:46 --> 00:42:50 part of that exploratory process into what Halter is and how it could work for them.
00:42:52 --> 00:42:55 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Is it giving you, like, feedback on,
00:42:56 --> 00:42:59 well, like, my, my phone tells me how many steps I took today.
00:43:00 --> 00:43:03 Now, whether or not it's accurate is debatable.
00:43:04 --> 00:43:09 But, is it giving some activity monitoring of those cows to the user on the app?
00:43:09 --> 00:43:12 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: So for dairy, absolutely we're measuring.
00:43:13 --> 00:43:16 All of their movement, their rumination, their live grazing, and
00:43:16 --> 00:43:17 when they're resting or restless.
00:43:18 --> 00:43:21 And we use that for a lot of our features in dairy around the heat detection,
00:43:22 --> 00:43:24 health alerts, calving alerts.
00:43:24 --> 00:43:25 There's a whole heap there.
00:43:26 --> 00:43:27 For beef, no.
00:43:27 --> 00:43:31 The majority is just focused on the GPS location and movement
00:43:31 --> 00:43:32 for our own internal systems.
00:43:32 --> 00:43:38 We're not saying, hey, you know, cow 371s miles today.
00:43:39 --> 00:43:39 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah.
00:43:39 --> 00:43:40 Yeah.
00:43:40 --> 00:43:44 So, so for beef cows, you're not giving feedback that a cow may be in heat.
00:43:45 --> 00:43:46 Or,
00:43:46 --> 00:43:47 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: No, no, not at this stage for beef.
00:43:48 --> 00:43:50 And part of that just comes from the extensive side.
00:43:50 --> 00:43:55 You know, if, if we did say, hey, we think cow triple two is a bit sick,
00:43:56 --> 00:43:57 you know, what are you going to do?
00:43:57 --> 00:44:00 Ride, ride, you know, half a day to go have a look at her and then
00:44:00 --> 00:44:01 potentially not find anything wrong.
00:44:01 --> 00:44:04 So, you know, whether we look at it in the future is a different, a
00:44:04 --> 00:44:07 different debate, but at the moment we've just stayed really true to that
00:44:07 --> 00:44:11 core value prop, which is around just the containment and the shifting piece.
00:44:12 --> 00:44:13 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Right.
00:44:13 --> 00:44:16 When we think about dairy versus beef, you know, and dairy, they're,
00:44:17 --> 00:44:19 they're likely to be AI ing their cows.
00:44:19 --> 00:44:21 They need to know when they're in heat.
00:44:21 --> 00:44:24 With, with beef cattle, it might be nice to know that, but we've
00:44:24 --> 00:44:27 got a bull that's supposed to be taking care of that out there.
00:44:28 --> 00:44:29 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:44:29 --> 00:44:31 It's just, it's just a matter of, you know, cost and functionality and,
00:44:31 --> 00:44:35 and really, I guess, actually that functionality pieces is where is it
00:44:35 --> 00:44:38 going to be used and how is it going to be used and is it actually going to
00:44:38 --> 00:44:41 be useful when it comes to your system and, and eventually your bottom line.
00:44:43 --> 00:44:46 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: We talked a little bit earlier a couple weeks for
00:44:46 --> 00:44:51 the cows to get used to it and get the system going in that Implementation
00:44:51 --> 00:44:54 stage when the farmers doing it cows getting used to it, and they they
00:44:54 --> 00:44:57 finally get out And they can manage it.
00:44:58 --> 00:45:02 What have been some hiccups that farmers have or is that
00:45:02 --> 00:45:04 pretty smooth that transition?
00:45:05 --> 00:45:07 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I mean, if you'd asked me that question, you
00:45:07 --> 00:45:10 know, three years ago, we probably would have had a different answer,
00:45:10 --> 00:45:13 but I'm, I can proudly say that now it's pretty slick and pretty smooth.
00:45:13 --> 00:45:16 You know, we've collared so many cattle now across the world that
00:45:16 --> 00:45:19 we've, we've seen every sort of mistake that producers can typically make.
00:45:19 --> 00:45:22 Not saying we've figured out all of them, but yeah, that,
00:45:22 --> 00:45:23 that process is pretty smooth.
00:45:23 --> 00:45:24 It's like,
00:45:25 --> 00:45:28 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Now, when we talk about grazing season,
00:45:28 --> 00:45:30 that's going to last so many months.
00:45:30 --> 00:45:33 You know, we all dream of being able to graze year round.
00:45:34 --> 00:45:39 If they bring cattle into a more confined area for winter feeding or something,
00:45:40 --> 00:45:41 is that a problem with your old collar?
00:45:42 --> 00:45:43 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: no, no, not at all.
00:45:43 --> 00:45:45 I mean, on a feedlot, sure.
00:45:45 --> 00:45:46 That's, that's not going to work.
00:45:46 --> 00:45:48 I don't know where that would fit in.
00:45:49 --> 00:45:52 But it's very common for producers to bale graze with halter, for example,
00:45:52 --> 00:45:53 if that's something you wanted to do.
00:45:54 --> 00:45:57 Something that we've really specialized in and that I can confidently say we, we do.
00:45:57 --> 00:46:01 We're awesome at is anything to do with strip grazing, cover crops bubble,
00:46:02 --> 00:46:03 anything on that side of things.
00:46:03 --> 00:46:07 People can use the collars for really effectively, just really intensively, you
00:46:07 --> 00:46:11 know, graze, graze those areas if that was something they were wanting to do.
00:46:11 --> 00:46:13 Sort
00:46:14 --> 00:46:17 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Let's say a producer is going to cull some cows.
00:46:17 --> 00:46:18 They pull that collar off.
00:46:19 --> 00:46:22 Is that collar then can be reset and used for another animal?
00:46:23 --> 00:46:25 Or what's the process for that?
00:46:25 --> 00:46:25 Yeah.
00:46:26 --> 00:46:28 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: of collaring process in reverse, you're going
00:46:28 --> 00:46:30 to pull that cow in, you're going to take that collar off, you're
00:46:30 --> 00:46:31 going to beep it with your phone.
00:46:32 --> 00:46:37 Unassign it from that cow, put it on your new cow, assign it to her, easy done.
00:46:37 --> 00:46:40 So that's, that's an immediate process that, that the producer can do.
00:46:41 --> 00:46:42 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:46:42 --> 00:46:42 Yeah.
00:46:43 --> 00:46:49 To the ranches that have implemented it, do you typically see ranches that are
00:46:49 --> 00:46:52 already doing a lot of grazing management?
00:46:52 --> 00:46:58 The ones implementing it, or have you had a fair number that go from set stock and
00:46:58 --> 00:47:02 now they're doing this rotational grazing because halter gives them that ability.
00:47:03 --> 00:47:03 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Okay.
00:47:03 --> 00:47:06 I think it's been a real combination from what I've seen so far.
00:47:06 --> 00:47:09 You know, I think there's a lot of ranchers out there who, who would
00:47:09 --> 00:47:13 really like to rotation and graze more, but you know, with fencing it.
00:47:13 --> 00:47:17 20, 000 mile you know, really difficult with labor, the extensive environments
00:47:17 --> 00:47:20 to make polywire just not feasible.
00:47:20 --> 00:47:23 I think that's where a huge amount of interest in Halter has come from, from
00:47:23 --> 00:47:27 producers who know that's something they want to do, but they've just never
00:47:27 --> 00:47:28 been able to even consider doing it.
00:47:28 --> 00:47:31 And then the flip side, there are a bunch of producers sort of
00:47:31 --> 00:47:35 in the Midwest who are already really intensively and efficiently
00:47:35 --> 00:47:36 grazing with a lot of polywire.
00:47:37 --> 00:47:39 But you know, that comes with a lot of labor and a lot of
00:47:39 --> 00:47:41 times I think it varies a lot.
00:47:41 --> 00:47:43 And we've been really pleased to see a lot of that variation.
00:47:43 --> 00:47:46 It hasn't been isolated to, you know, a particular sort of segment of the market.
00:47:47 --> 00:47:48 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah.
00:47:49 --> 00:47:53 And I know earlier we talked about when we think about that fence line for
00:47:53 --> 00:47:55 halter, it's not really a poly wire.
00:47:55 --> 00:47:57 That's that defines it.
00:47:57 --> 00:47:59 Just, you know, right there.
00:47:59 --> 00:48:02 It's a little bit more of a zone.
00:48:03 --> 00:48:06 How close are we able to get those zones and how close are we able
00:48:06 --> 00:48:09 to to grease cattle in an area?
00:48:10 --> 00:48:11 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Tight.
00:48:11 --> 00:48:15 Again, because we come from a country where strip grazing, Really intensively
00:48:15 --> 00:48:16 is just bread and butter for our systems.
00:48:17 --> 00:48:19 It's something we're really good at.
00:48:20 --> 00:48:21 I think there's two parts to that.
00:48:21 --> 00:48:25 First, I guess for me, something that I found hard to get over when I first joined
00:48:25 --> 00:48:28 Halter was this notion that a virtual fence doesn't have to be a straight line.
00:48:28 --> 00:48:29 You know, you can do whatever shape you want.
00:48:29 --> 00:48:33 If you want to make a wheel, graze a pasture or from a central watering point.
00:48:33 --> 00:48:33 Awesome.
00:48:34 --> 00:48:38 If you want to like keep them out of this little area of Larkspur, even easier.
00:48:38 --> 00:48:40 So I think there's, there's that side to it as well.
00:48:40 --> 00:48:41 You can draw it any shape you want to.
00:48:42 --> 00:48:45 We won't let you put cattle in a break fence that's less than
00:48:45 --> 00:48:46 one meter squared per head.
00:48:47 --> 00:48:50 So that's pretty tight, although we do recommend that you give them a minimum
00:48:50 --> 00:48:52 of about three meters squared per head.
00:48:52 --> 00:48:53 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:48:54 --> 00:48:55 Okay, yeah.
00:48:55 --> 00:48:58 I, I don't know what kind of poundage that would be
00:48:59 --> 00:49:00 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Very, that would be very tight.
00:49:01 --> 00:49:01 Yeah.
00:49:01 --> 00:49:02 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: it would be pretty tight.
00:49:02 --> 00:49:03 Yeah, it would.
00:49:04 --> 00:49:04 Yeah.
00:49:05 --> 00:49:06 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: I'd be I'd be shocked if a producer
00:49:06 --> 00:49:09 ever found a situation where they wanted to go tighter than that.
00:49:10 --> 00:49:10 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yeah.
00:49:10 --> 00:49:11 Yeah.
00:49:11 --> 00:49:13 Yeah, because that's not much spaces.
00:49:13 --> 00:49:15 I'm thinking about, I'm trying to think of the times I've seen
00:49:15 --> 00:49:20 a million pounds per acre, and I think that would still get that, and
00:49:20 --> 00:49:22 I could be totally wrong on that.
00:49:22 --> 00:49:24 I'm not grazing at that density, so.
00:49:24 --> 00:49:24 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah.
00:49:26 --> 00:49:28 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: We, we've kind of wandered around and talked
00:49:28 --> 00:49:30 a lot of things about halter.
00:49:30 --> 00:49:33 Is there anything we didn't cover that you're like, hey,
00:49:33 --> 00:49:35 we really need to get this in?
00:49:36 --> 00:49:37 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: You know, I think we've covered a lot of ground.
00:49:37 --> 00:49:41 I think probably you know, people always ask like, What makes Halter
00:49:41 --> 00:49:45 different and, and, you know, what's it like to work with Halter?
00:49:45 --> 00:49:48 And I think there's a few fundamental kind of product things.
00:49:48 --> 00:49:50 One, virtual fencing is the only part of our business.
00:49:51 --> 00:49:52 The solar, probably another.
00:49:52 --> 00:49:56 But you know, if you, if you called any single one of our producers anywhere
00:49:56 --> 00:49:59 in the world tomorrow, and you said, what's the best thing about Halter?
00:49:59 --> 00:50:01 The first thing they're going to say, I'd, I'd put money on it
00:50:01 --> 00:50:03 as our, as our customer service
00:50:03 --> 00:50:04 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, yes.
00:50:04 --> 00:50:05 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: maybe it's a Kiwi thing, but
00:50:05 --> 00:50:06 we love coming up the driveway.
00:50:07 --> 00:50:10 We love having a cup of coffee, so I think it's, it's really important
00:50:11 --> 00:50:15 branches understand, you know, when they do get halter, the service only
00:50:15 --> 00:50:18 starts there, you know, we're going to keep coming up the driveway, keep
00:50:18 --> 00:50:19 working with them really closely.
00:50:20 --> 00:50:22 And I think for us, you know, as we're launching the U.
00:50:22 --> 00:50:22 S.,
00:50:22 --> 00:50:26 we're working really hard on building that trust and, and meeting as many people
00:50:26 --> 00:50:28 as we can in all these different states.
00:50:28 --> 00:50:29 That's something we take a lot of pride in.
00:50:29 --> 00:50:32 We want people to hold us to a really high standard.
00:50:32 --> 00:50:35 And I just know that it's, that's the first thing that people tend
00:50:35 --> 00:50:36 to tend to love about halter.
00:50:36 --> 00:50:40 Alongside the product is just the service that comes alongside it.
00:50:40 --> 00:50:41 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Oh, very good.
00:50:42 --> 00:50:46 And you brought up a brought a question to my mind when you mentioned coffee.
00:50:46 --> 00:50:49 Do Kiwis like to drink coffee or is it more tea there?
00:50:49 --> 00:50:50 What, what's the,
00:50:50 --> 00:50:51 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: You know what?
00:50:52 --> 00:50:52 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: there?
00:50:52 --> 00:50:54 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: We'll we'll take what we're given.
00:50:55 --> 00:50:57 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah, well, I drink most anything.
00:50:57 --> 00:50:57 Yeah.
00:50:57 --> 00:50:59 If it's, if it's hot, I'm good.
00:50:59 --> 00:51:01 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Yeah, that's a similar attitude.
00:51:02 --> 00:51:02 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Yeah.
00:51:04 --> 00:51:08 Well, Theo, it's time for us to transition to our famous four questions.
00:51:08 --> 00:51:08 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Sure.
00:51:08 --> 00:51:10 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: four questions we ask of all of our guests.
00:51:11 --> 00:51:12 Our first question.
00:51:12 --> 00:51:16 What is your favorite grazing grass related book or resource?
00:51:18 --> 00:51:19 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Tell you what, this one is not easy.
00:51:19 --> 00:51:22 And you know, sorry, some of my professors at university,
00:51:22 --> 00:51:23 if they ever listened to this.
00:51:23 --> 00:51:26 My favorite one is actually a book called the resilient farmer.
00:51:26 --> 00:51:26 It's about.
00:51:27 --> 00:51:30 It's about a producer in sort of the top end of the South Island,
00:51:30 --> 00:51:34 New Zealand, very dry, arid part of the world, horrific droughts.
00:51:34 --> 00:51:37 And it talks about his journey implementing another type of feed
00:51:37 --> 00:51:41 into his system called lucerne and the challenges that came up with that.
00:51:41 --> 00:51:46 And he was really a pioneer for, for this type of species in dry land environments.
00:51:46 --> 00:51:51 And it, it changed the game for just a vast number of, of Kiwi, Kiwi operators.
00:51:51 --> 00:51:54 Amazing read, couldn't recommend it more highly.
00:51:55 --> 00:51:56 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: No, very interesting.
00:51:56 --> 00:51:57 That's not one.
00:51:57 --> 00:51:59 I've had before so I'm interested.
00:51:59 --> 00:52:04 I'll have to look that up Yeah, our second question.
00:52:04 --> 00:52:05 What's your favorite tool for the farm?
00:52:06 --> 00:52:09 And, and I know right off you're going to say halter,
00:52:10 --> 00:52:10 because
00:52:10 --> 00:52:10 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: What else?
00:52:11 --> 00:52:12 What would you expect me to say?
00:52:12 --> 00:52:14 I've, I've kind of got, I would get think how many people outta
00:52:14 --> 00:52:16 nowhere if I didn't say Holder.
00:52:16 --> 00:52:17 I owe it to our producers.
00:52:18 --> 00:52:18 I'm sticking with Holder
00:52:20 --> 00:52:21 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Right, right.
00:52:22 --> 00:52:24 Third question, what would you tell someone just getting started?
00:52:25 --> 00:52:28 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: Look, I think no matter where you're starting in the
00:52:28 --> 00:52:31 egg space if you are setting up your own system if you're joining a farm,
00:52:31 --> 00:52:35 if you want to start working for a producer, if you wanna join an ag company.
00:52:36 --> 00:52:37 Just be curious.
00:52:37 --> 00:52:40 Take the time to go really deep on understanding the systems.
00:52:40 --> 00:52:43 You know, there's so much knowledge in the ag space.
00:52:43 --> 00:52:47 So, you know, get out and offer to help that farmer for a day on, on their land.
00:52:47 --> 00:52:50 Really get a sense of what they do and just keep asking questions.
00:52:50 --> 00:52:52 As, as my biggest bit of advice to anybody.
00:52:53 --> 00:52:55 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: I think that's great advice, Theo.
00:52:55 --> 00:52:57 I love just be curious.
00:52:57 --> 00:52:58 That gets you so far.
00:53:00 --> 00:53:03 And lastly, where can others find out more about you, more about Halter?
00:53:04 --> 00:53:04 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: A few different ways.
00:53:04 --> 00:53:06 I mean, we're pretty friendly and easy to get hold of.
00:53:06 --> 00:53:08 Website's a great starting point.
00:53:08 --> 00:53:12 It's got contact details for me, for all of our people in New Zealand, Australia.
00:53:12 --> 00:53:14 So no matter where you are there's someone at email.
00:53:15 --> 00:53:17 You'll find my face on there somewhere with my email and phone.
00:53:18 --> 00:53:18 I'm pretty good on comms.
00:53:18 --> 00:53:22 So any questions, we're an open book, flick me an email and I'll
00:53:22 --> 00:53:25 be more than happy to answer any questions that anybody has out there.
00:53:26 --> 00:53:26 cal_1_12-15-2024_131840: Wonderful.
00:53:26 --> 00:53:29 Theo, we appreciate you coming on and sharing with us today.
00:53:30 --> 00:53:31 theo_1_12-15-2024_121840: No, thank you very much for having me.
00:53:31 --> 00:53:32 I appreciate it.
