AIMER, Bovonic and Herd-i join forces to advance NZ dairy tech
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
The funding forms part of the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Primary Sector Growth Fund, with MPI investing $600,000 in a $1.675 million project with Aimer Farming.
The project is set to scale Aimer Farming's AI-powered pasture measurement and decision technology, AIMER, across hundreds of Kiwi dairy and beef farms and help fast-track new tools designed to save farmers time and reduce uncertainty in daily grazing and feed decisions.
AI Technology Expanding Across Dairy and Beef Farms
Launched in 2023, AIMER is currently used on more than 650 farms, with over 10,000 pasture measurements recorded each week.
The next phase of development focuses on ‘Ask AIMER’ - a chat‑based AI assistant inside the AIMER smartphone app that allows farmers to simply ask what to do next and receive tailored, farm‑specific recommendations.
From Data Reporting to Decision Guidance
Aimer Farming founder and chief technology officer, Jeremy Bryant says the aim is to move beyond reporting information to actively guide farmers’ decisions.
“Farmers don’t need more dashboards of information. They need a better understanding of their options, why they matter, and the confidence to back their own decisions," Bryant says. "Then they can act earlier, avoid costly mistakes and get more from every paddock and every cow.”
Ask AIMER is being built on Aimer Farming’s proprietary technology, which already generates tailored grazing and supplement recommendations for individual farm systems.
The platform uses smartphone‑based computer vision to measure pasture, forecasts feed supply, and creates grazing and supplement plans that reflect each farm’s unique setup and constraints.
By adding a conversational interface, Ask AIMER allows farmers to interact directly with that intelligence.
For example, a farmer can ask which paddocks to take out for silage this week, or how to adjust grazing and supplement plans as conditions change.
AIMER then returns a clear recommendation, along with a short explanation of what’s driving that suggestion.
Bryant says this represents a shift from software that reports information to systems that actively guide decisions.
"We’re building AIMER as the pasture operating system - the eyes to measure pasture accurately, the brain to optimise grazing and supplement plans, and now an action layer that turns insight into clear next steps.”
Productivity and Sustainability Benefits
The project aims to upskill more than 10,000 farmers and rural professionals, increase pasture monitoring by 30%, and lift on‑farm productivity.
It is also expected to support stronger sector earnings and contribute to lower net greenhouse gas emissions through better forecasting and earlier, more informed decision‑making.
Positioning New Zealand as a Global Leader
Bryant says New Zealand has a global opportunity to lead in pasture‑based farming by exporting pasture intelligence, not just agricultural products.
“Pasture‑based farming is one of the world’s most efficient production systems,” he says.
“If we can help farmers improve pasture utilisation and reduce uncertainty in feed decisions, that lifts profitability, animal performance and environmental outcomes - here in New Zealand and well beyond.”
