increase font size
A hand-held device used to read ear tags on farm animals, developed by Massey industrial designer Tony Parker and technology company Gallagher, has won the inaugural International Innovation Award at Fieldays.
The HR4 (hand-held reader 4) is designed to allow farm workers to automatically identify individual animals by a unique electronic number (containing information such as sex, weight and veterinary treatment data), attached to the stock in the form of a tag or bolus.
"The reader is backed up by an animal database which not only pulls in data from the reader, but integrates data from a range of sources, including devices made by other manufacturers and data provided by independent service providers," Professor Parker says.
The product, which was only launched this week, was announced as the premier winner of the inaugural award at a function following the opening of Fieldays at Mystery Creek in Hamilton.
The awards competition was organised by the Fieldays Innovation Centre.
Professor Parker, who is associate pro vice-chancellor at Massey's College of Creative Arts on the Wellington campus, says it is a great honour to be part of the award winning team for a product he predicts will be used around the world by a lot of farmers.
He led the industrial design of the product including its ergonomics and overall appearance, working as part of Gallagher's project development team.
"The award win is recognition for Gallagher and the team too because we're talking about the involvement of a lot of people and investment," he says.
That includes Massey University's creative design studio Open Lab, which was involved in developing the usability of the system including the design of icons and the layout of content for the screen of the reader.
Gallagher product manager Dan Loughnane says this was particularly important for older farmers who will benefit from the bold colour display that allows easy readability of the screeds of data scanned from the ear tags of farm stock.
"They can do all that on the stick and in the yard," he says.
More than three years of research is involved in the production of the reader that updates an earlier version of the same product. Professor Parker has previously worked with Gallagher on world-leading energizer and livestock weighing and electronic identification products. He is also the chief designer of the Hulme supercar.
A function at Parliament on 7th October brought together central government decision-makers, MPs, industry stakeholders and commercial partners to highlight the need for strategic investment in the future of Fieldays and its home, the Mystery Creek Events Centre campus.
The iconic services building at National Fieldays' Mystery Creek site will be demolished to make way for a "contemporary replacement that better serves the needs of both the community and event organisers," says board chair Jenni Vernon.
OPINION: The Rural Support Trust ran a dinner and debate at the National Fieldays last month. In tables of 10, over 540 people were wined and dined, including the Prime Minister, supported by ministers from around the country.
OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.
Acclaimed fruit grower Dean Astill never imagined he would have achieved so much in the years since being named the first Young Horticulturist of the Year, 20 years ago.
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…
