AI-Powered Cow Matchmaking Boosts Herd Performance for Waikato Dairy Farmer
A Waikato farmer who set up a 'tinder' for cows - using artificial intelligence to find the perfect bull for each cow - days the first-year results are better than expected.
An agritech startup is introducing Kiwi winegrowers to a 24/7 vineyard assistant with instant access to winery, vineyard and plant-procedured data.
Croptide's latest digital venture, alora, uses voice activated artificial intelligence to give data-driven responses to questions posed on the phone, such as 'when was this block last sprayed?', 'give me a summary of what's been happening in the vineyard', or 'what's the temperature range forecasted for this week?'
The assistant also taps into information from Croptide's Rosetta sensors, launched in 2021, which monitor plant stress to finesse decisions around water or nutrient inputs.
Company co-founder Hamish Penny says while developers were building the sensors they notices a disconnect between the amount of data winegrowers and orchardists collect, and the lack of time and ability they have to exploit its value.
Alora is intended to bridge that divide, so that time-poor operators can call up while driving to a block for example, and ask for updates based on their own data, or external resources such as weather forecasts.