Recording

Recap

eShepherd customer, Simon Fowler, shared his experience using eShepherd together with Auto-Weigher on his property in WA. He emphasized the importance of continuous animal performance monitoring to justify the investment in virtual fencing.

Mark Martin from Texas shared his success with the eShepherd system, particularly in managing grazing and monitoring cattle across multiple locations. He highlighted the system's accuracy and its benefits for managing calving and grazing in areas without physical fences.

Kent Rochester from Albany, Western Australia, shared his experience with intensive grazing management using the eShepherd virtual fencing system, highlighting the benefits of frequent paddock moves and the system's flexibility for leasing land.

From the Gallagher team, we heard from Brian Rose, Head of Animal Performance and Traceability who discussed the Auto-Weigher, its development, and its integration with eShepherd. He highlighted its benefits for regular weight monitoring and animal performance. While Sarah Adams, GM of Strategy & New Ventures provided an update on the regulation changes in New South Wales regarding virtual fencing. The changes are expected to be implemented within months, allowing the use of virtual fencing in NSW.

During the Q&A, various questions were addressed, including the durability of neckbands in rough terrain, the process of creating exclusion zones, and the benefits of using eShepherd for leasing additional grazing land.

Questions and Answers

Q: How well do the collars stay on in scrub/rougher country? Do you find they rub them off on trees/bushes etc?

A: Generally, the Neckbands stay on the animals very well, but there are many factors that can lead to them falling off, or being pulled off by the animal - the fitment being the most significant factor. If its fitted a bit loose, then they come of more easily, but you also don't want them too tight - you have to factor in their expected growth rate and when you intend to have them in the yards next for a check up.

Q: How often do you have adjust the collars on growing cattle?

A: We recommend checking and adjusting the Neckbands every 2 to 3 months. But as described above, this does depend on the animal and the season.

Q: How can I make the connection between the Base Station to Starlink? There is some upload necessary by Gallagher to the gateway in order to make it run?

A: There are two ways to connect the eShepherd Base Station to a Starlink Terminal - either using the special Starlink network cable adapter or via Wi-Fi. For either of these connections to work, the eShepherd team does need to make some configuration adjustments to the Base Station router. Please get in touch at eshepherd.support@gallagher.com

Updated on: 15/08/2025