With a trial under way online paddock monitoring is about to become reality for farmers, even those hampered by poor internet coverage, to make their properties more efficient and profitable. 

The Orange Agricultural Institute’s farm decision technologies project uses networking technology called LoRa, which connects drone-mounted and pasture-monitoring sensors in the farm paddock to the internet even when broadband or mobile coverage is poor.

Climate stations, soil moisture probes, cameras and livestock walk-over-weighing are other features, which are being trialled at the Bralca sheep farm in Molong and the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) Bloomfield test farm.

DPI climate unit researcher Anthony Clark said the technology was capable of transmitting data up to 10 kilometres and hoped it could become available on a wider scale within six months.

“These devices can exist on a battery for up to 10 years, that’s a really critical practical element,” he said.

Mr Clark said two-way communication opened the future possibility of automated gates and fencing. 

“It automatically gives [Bralca owner Ben Watts] a day-by-day feed budget and risk assessment, it gives Ben warnings if things are turning bad and he’s overstocked, it allows him to make decisions about matching animals with the pasture feed base with much greater confidence,” he said. 

Mr Watts said with the trial in the early stages, it was hard to measure the impact on profit so far.

“But what I can tell you is if we get these decisions wrong, it can cost us 50 per cent on our [return on investment],” he said. 

“It makes it available on a phone or a tablet and … it frees up your time because you’re not stressing or worrying about things, you just work it out using the information.”

DPI deputy director-general Michael Bullen said part of the challenge had been about “ruggedising” technology to cope with farm life. 

CISCO managing director Kevin Bloch hoped innovators would be able to take the idea further and develop other applications.