Stihl Launches BT140, Its First Battery-Powered Auger
With battery tools becoming more widespread and more importantly, productive and reliable, it was only time before we saw augers or post-hole borers.
Halter chief executive officer Craig Piggott says his goal has been to make farmers’ working lives better.
Working on the premise that everything that happens on farm exists to manage the cow, Halter claims to remove the need for fences, gates and even the farm dog, allowing the farmer to manage everything remotely, saving time and improving productivity.
Each cow is fitted with a solar powered collar that in turn is coupled to an application that monitors the cow’s location, physical condition and pasture conditions.
Recently, the tech company has partnered with farmer-owned cooperative LIC to allow data flow between the Halter app and MINDA, saving farmers’ time and creating a seamless interface.
The Halter platform now sends highly accurate heat alerts to the MINDA app, LIC’s cloud-based herd management system, allowing farmers to schedule drafts within MINDA for on-heat cows.
In addition, Halter also allows farmers to gain access to some of their herd’s MINDA data via the Halter app, including calving date, mating sire ID and body condition score, providing them with an overall picture of herd performance, health and fertility to help them make more informed decisions on farm.
![]() |
|---|
|
Each cow is fitted with a solar powered collar that in turn is coupled to an application that monitors the cow's location, physical condition and pasture condition. |
“From day one, our goal has been to make farmers’ working lives better,” said Piggot. “Integrating Halter into MINDA is something farmers have asked for, and we’ve responded. It’s a perfect example of how Halter helps. Our integration simplifies the admin so farmers can get on with more important jobs.”
LIC chief executive David Chin says the farmer-owned co-operative is pleased to welcome Halter to its growing suite of wearables partners.
“Enabling MINDA to integrate with cow wearables is key to unlocking more value for our growing number of farmers who have invested in this technology. We’re excited to partner with Halter to provide more farmers with improved access to data and insights to make their lives easier.”
Piggot says the integration is an important step in the tech company’s evolution. He looks forward to continuing to foster relationships with partners who share a vision to support farming communities.
“We are on a path to an ecosystem where we connect partners to farmers to help drive business success. This LIC integration is the beginning of that journey.”
In Dacre, near Invercargill in New Zealand’s South Island, Bruce Dinnington is running a dairy operation unlike any other.
A free online platform aggregating governance vacancies across rural and regional New Zealand has been launched.
Environment Minister Nicola Grigg has announced details of a new rural plastics recycling scheme.
Agricultural drone operators say that a government decision to allow lower-risk drone work without certification won’t lower standards but drive innovation and efficiency.
OPINION: Warning bells are ringing in the arable sector.
Farmgate lamb prices are down by 8%, beef cattle by 4.5% and farm expenditure up by 4.2%.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.