Friday, 15 March 2019 12:04

New Zealand setting the standard

Written by  Mark Daniel
Datamar’s global CE Klaus Ackerstaff. Datamar’s global CE Klaus Ackerstaff.

New Zealand is punching above its weight in addressing the world’s needs for protein and animal management.

So says Datamars, the Swiss company that recently bought Tru-Test and Simcro.

Datamars’ global chief executive Klaus Ackerstaff, on a recent visit here, said NZ’s linking animal ID, management and decision-making “could be one of the country’s greatest contributions to world agriculture”.

The merger combines Tru-Test’s animal weighing, electric fence, milk meter and data systems and Simcro’s animal health delivery products with Datamars’ animal ID technologies.

Ackerstaff says agriculture’s biggest challenge is to produce more with less, while reducing environmental effects and ensuring animal wellbeing. 

Central to this process will be ‘knowing’ animals at an individual level, understanding their growth and health needs and having the necessary data to decide how best to farm them. 

Ackerstaff says his company’s vision is for full farmer control of animal feeding, health treatment and attention to their individual needs.

“Tru-Test and farming partners in NZ have laid the groundwork for integrating animal identification, animal performance management and business decision making intuitively and workably onfarm,” he told Rural News

“Buzzwords like ‘smart integrated solutions’ mean nothing to farmers unless they’re practical and intuitive. 

“So NZ’s integrating identification with animal management and data driven decisionmaking could be [a huge] contribution to world agriculture.”

Ackerstaff says Tru-Test’s data aggregation system was the ideal platform for farmers to manage animal health, wellbeing and production, make decisions and measure the resulting difference – with ‘measurability of difference’ being the standout achievement for farmers.

“It’s one thing to make a difference, it’s another altogether to know exactly what that difference is, how it was achieved and how it can be repeated or improved on,” Ackerstaff said. 

More like this

Featured

Horticulture exports hit $8.4B, surge toward $10B by 2029

A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter