As farmers look to grow their business, they are always looking for ways to improve the efficency of their farms.
Gallaghers have always been at the forefront of agriculture innovation. Monitoring and recording of stock performance, is now an integral part of any efficent livestock operation.
Moving sheep through clattery old swing arm weighing systems, was a tough job in the past, and this new electronic, plastic, multi drafting/weighing system, looks just the goods.
While electronic tagging is not welcomed by many, innovative farmers will be looking for management ideas to get value out of the tag, over and above it's traceability origins.
The Gallagher Sheep Auto Drafter – to be unveiled at National Fieldays at Mystery Creek – has been designed and constructed to make the process of drafting or sorting sheep easier on both man and beast. Auto-drafters are generally built with steel or aluminium. This is the first to be made from composite materials, including plastic and glass reinforcing.
Professor Parker from Massey University, provided design advice on its overall form, configuration and ergonomic features, working with engineers, technologists and marketing staff of animal management company Gallagher. Aside from being robust enough to handle the toughest farming environment the auto drafter is also very quiet, he says. “Being quiet to operate and providing animals with a tranquil sensory environment is essential in a process where it’s important to keep the stock calm.”
Other design features include the ability of the auto drafter to draft in up to a maximum of nine directions. Unlike other auto draft operations this version does not require the use of a clamp. The front and rear gates open and close automatically when they sense the presence of an animal. The composite materials also reduce electrical noise that can interfere with the performance of readers and electronic identification tags.
Even the colours are deliberately chosen. Professor Parker sought advice from veterinary science colleagues at Massey before proposing an orange and grey combination, which avoided the high tonal contrast at eye level that research shows sheep react poorly to.
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