Farmbot Australia Awarded Accelerating Commercialisation Grant

Farmbot Australia Pty Ltd (NSW) has been awarded a grant of $597,650 to broaden the application of its innovative water monitoring technology.

Sydney, NSW – 04/02/2020 – On 16 January 2020, Farmbot Australia, a leading Agtech innovator, was awarded an Accelerating Commercialisation grant by Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews.

Farmbot is one of nine businesses that will share in more than $4.7 million in Accelerating Commercialisation grants to help bring their products to market. The grant is part of the Coalition’s strategic investment in innovation, as part of our broader plan to create 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years.

“The grants help Australian entrepreneurs, researchers, inventors and start-ups reach their potential sooner, which in turn creates jobs and drives economic growth,” Minister Andrews said.

Farmbot will use this grant to develop further precision agriculture applications to add to their existing water management product offering. The goal of these innovations is to make managing agricultural ecosystems simpler and allow for better forecasting.

“As a business we strive to always remain on the cutting edge of innovation.” said Farmbot Managing Director; Andrew Coppin. “This grant will allow us to expand within the agriculture industry and enable Farmbot to become positioned as an Agtech leader in precision agriculture.”

About Farmbot

Farmbot Monitoring Solutions is a leading Australian Agtech company in the Internet of Things (IoT) and precision agriculture. The company monitors and reports on-farm water ecosystems delivering near real-time reporting on water trends, consumption and demand. As water is the lifeblood of all agricultural endeavours, a detailed understanding of its usage helps farmers make better management decisions, around asset utilisation, resource allocations and stock carrying capacities.

Why Customers Rave About Farmbot’s Easy Installation

Farmbot customers are generally strapped for time. We’ve made it our mission to make our monitors as user-friendly as possible. We know that self-installation in under 10 minutes sounds impossible, so we thought we’d show you how.

Here’s how it works;

Firstly, what’s in your box? 

  • Farmbot Monitor 
  • Calico Farmbot Bag
  • Water Level Sensor (Probe)
  • 4x Tex Screws
  • 4x Philips head screws
  • Allen Key
  • Hole saw 30mm 

What you need to bring: 

  • Electrical Drill
  • Hex head driver (for corrugated surface) 
  • Phillips head driver (for poly surface) 

You’ll find our Farmbot installation instructions inside the box.

To make the process even easier our very own Nick Bradley, General Business Manager made a handy how-to video on how to install a Farmbot Monitor at Wilalooka Station in South Australia

Nick Bradley, General Business Manager installing a Farmbot Water Level Monitor at Wilalooka Station in South Australia

Choosing an efficient AgTech provider can be tricky with multiple variables to consider. Farmbot takes the guesswork out and is really a stand out provider. On top of easy installation, we offer real-time alerts via SMS / Email as well as regular alerts on your online dashboard. Get in touch with our specialised team to find out more! #knowyourwater

Head Office 02 9901 4798 or info@website.stage.fmbt.au

Precision Agriculture – More than just a helping hand

What is precision agriculture?

Precision agriculture (also known as digital agriculture, precision ag or precision farming/agronomics) is the use of information technology for the benefit of farms.

It helps farm owners and managers to better control their farm and run an accurate, more efficient and profitable business while protecting the environment.

Digital Agriculture is about leveraging the capabilities of advanced technologies such as control systems, sensors, robotics, GPS, drones, etc.

It helps farmers automate some of their processes, gather all the information needed to make the right decisions and enables them to take immediate actions.

Knowledge is power

Dealing with crops and raising livestock holds a great deal of challenges for any grower or pastoral.

When farmers know what they have to attend to first, get important alerts in real-time and understand when and how to operate resources around the farm, they are empowered to make decisions that can have a positive effect on the business.

Precision agriculture is all about providing farmers with this knowledge and these types of tools to help them better plan their day, stay informed, have some peace of mind and optimise their ROI.

“Digital agriculture is widely recognized as the third great revolution of modern agriculture.”

How can you benefit from precision agriculture?

EASIER TO PLAN YOUR DAY
ACCURATE GROWING
PEACE OF MIND
SUSTAINABLE FARMING
EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT
INCREASED
ROI

Want to make your farm smarter?

Check out our range of products and solutions.

#knowyourwater – Matt Wood’s Testimony

#knowyourwater with Matt Wood’s Testimony

My name’s Matt Wood. I’m the manager of Blina Station, which is located about 150 km’s east of Derby.

We run 24,000 Brahman cattle over around just shy of a million acres. In a normal summer day in the north, an adult equivalent will consume 50 litres of water a day so that means I’m chasing a million litres of water delivered into my trough over about 90 different watering points every day and cattle don’t care if it’s Sunday or a public holiday, or if it’s someone’s birthday. They need water every day, all day.

We’ve been using Farmbot tank level monitors for three years now and saved us hugely in a variety of different ways. Like a float falls off a trough and we lose a turkey nest of water or a beast breaks a pipe. We know there’s a serious incident within an hour and we’re able to respond before it turns into a drama. We’re able to go out there and deal with it, ASAP and that’s huge in this sort of scale of a station. I’ve recommended Farmbot to many neighbours and many friends, other colleagues in the industry and I’ll continue to do so. 

We’ve found the service really good, seriously cheap insurance on probably the most important part of our business and that’s water for livestock.

#knowyourwater with Matt Wood’s Testimony

#knowyourwater – South West Customers

#knowyourwater – South West Customers

Farmers have been seeking better ways to manage their water for decades. 

Farmbot has developed an innovative water monitoring solution, that operates in some of the most remote areas in Australia. 

Farmbot has cut farmers time checking water by up to 80% savings costs, decreasing OH&S risks and providing peace of mind through near real-time data. 

Farmbot, proudly supporting Australian farmers with practical innovations to change lives, improve productivity and produce sustainable outcomes for the future of our country.

#knowyourwater – Matt Wood

#knowyourwater with Matt Wood

 “Across Australia farmers who provide the food we eat and the clothes we wear have been seeking better ways to manage their water for decades.” 

 “Farmers like Matt Wood, manager of Jumbuck Pastoral’s Blina Station, which spans some four thousand square kilometres in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. 

“Matt’s weekly rituals used to include a lot of time checking water for his herd of some 24,000 Braham cattle  but that has changed in recent years with thanks to an AgTech innovation Farmbot Australia.

 “The monitoring technology developed by Farmbot has cut Matt’s time checking water by up to 80% saving material costs, decreasing OH&S risks and giving him peace of mind by allowing him to know the water levels, trends and alerts on all his key watering points across his station.”

 “Farmbot’s near real-time, event-driven monitoring solutions have changed Matt’s life in one of the most remote areas in Australia. He now has more time to spend on bringing greater efficiencies to his operation or spending valuable time with his family.”

“Matt Wood testimony”

“Farmbot is proud to support Australian farmers with practical innovations in rural areas to help give them peace of mind, improve productivity and produce more sustainable outcomes for the future of our country.”

#knowyourwater with Matt Wood

2019 Consensus Awards Media Release

5 INNOVATION TECHNOLOGIES WIN AWARDS

Sydney, 12th December 2019: 5 highly innovative Australian technologies have won awards in the second round of Consensus Awards in 2019, across Software, Innovation, GreenTech and AgTech. The Awards were co-presented by Julian Day Founder and CEO of Consensus and Richard White, Founder & CEO of WiseTech Global, a winner of a Consensus Award in 2004, and now with a market cap of $8 billion on the ASX.

Consensus Awards celebrates their 20th year of identifying the most innovative technology solutions which are locally designed and developed. Well over 1,000 assessments have been conducted by the pool of 180+ independent judges across 9 different Awards Programs. 

Previous Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who has presented the Awards on two occasions said, “The Consensus Awards have a history of celebrating some of the most cutting-edge and innovative Australian tech companies, counting world-famous firms Atlassian and WiseTech Global as former recipients. I have no doubt that this year’s recipients will follow in their success.”

Richard White of WiseTech Global spoke about his confidence in the highly respected Consensus Awards, “When we entered in 2004, we did so to validate our innovation and have our go-to-market strategy reviewed by a large number of industry professionals. Winning a Consensus Award gave us the confidence to push ahead and expand our business with the added benefit of opening doors around the world.”

The Consensus Awards Winners are:
Consensus Software Awards

CompleteEmpire by Empire Software Pty Ltd   www.empiresoftware.com.au

A cloud-based subscription system that provides powerful customer relationship management, marketing management, and sales & operational management for the Property, Finance, Taxation, and Financial Planning industries all in one package.

Consensus Innovation Awards
Digital Smart Mirrors by ShopExp Pty Ltd   www.shopexp.io

Digital Smart Mirrors uses a shop based full length mirror that allows the shopper to try on different virtual items including fashion, sunglasses, jewellery, shoes, makeup and similar accessories that automatically align to the shopper’s size and fit.

Consensus GreenTech Awards
Taggle Water Intelligence Network by Taggle Systems Pty Ltd   www.taggle.com.au

Taggle has the ability through its IOT connectivity, their early detection sensors and systems to plan and provide positive solutions on a large scale to ensure efficient and successful Water Management. 

AeroDAT and AeroMBBR by Aerofloat Pty Ltd  www.aerofloat.com.au

Aerofloat’s patented solutions AeroDAF and AeroMBBR provide an innovative approach to Waste Management and Recycling for a range of industries including the food and beverage (dairies, breweries, abattoirs, confectionery, small goods. 

Consensus AgTech Awards
Farmbot from Farmbot Australia Pty Ltd   www.farmbot.com.au

The Farmbot remote water monitoring products bring a number of technical and commercial elements together to deliver compelling solutions for the livestock sector.  There is also potential to become the de facto data monitoring solution for other farming groups.

The Winners receive global recognition. Each of them receives assistance from Consensus to promote their win to their specific target market. Consensus quite rightly claims to be the world’s most successful awards program with 90% of the Winners of Consensus Awards since 2000 going on to be extremely successful world-wide. Julian Day added, “We can confidently predict that nearly all of this year’s winners will be world-wide winners. Our highly experienced judges get it right, year after year, after year, after year. 

For further information please contact:
Julian Day, CONSENSUS Pty Ltd: Tel: 0413 309 056
Email: julian.day@consensus.com.au

Consensus AgTech Award – Winner December 2019

Consensus AgTech Award Citation:
The judges were unanimous in their praise for Farmbot Australia.

Under the three judging criteria of innovation, performance and potential, Farmbot Australia excels. They are very clear on who their target market is and demonstrate a particular focus on the strong relationship between the company and its customers.

Their remote water monitoring products brings a number of technical and commercial elements together to deliver compelling solutions for the livestock sector. There is also potential to become the de facto data monitoring solution for other farming groups.

Farmbot is a worthy winner of a Consensus AgTech Award.

Farmbot helping farming families around Australia

Drought Angels – Supporting our Aussie Farmers

Farmbot will be donating $100 from each monitor sold to Drought Angels, during January. 

Drought Angels is a regionally (country) based, registered charity “who offer[s] a listening ear, a warm hug and personalised support”. “At Drought Angels they don’t offer handouts, they deliver a “Thank You”. “Thank you for all you do to put the food on our tables because without you we would all go hungry”. Farmers are such an integral part of Australian society, with 47.63% of Australia being agricultural land, Farmbot Australia is proud to be aligned with Drought Angels who have such a remarkable reputation in assisting farming families suffering in the drought. 

Farmbot Australia mission is to deliver solutions that help in the areas of animal welfare, personnel safety, carbon reduction, sustainability, and positively impacting farmers lives. Our partnership with Drought Angels perfectly aligned with this mission. As Drought Angels offer a variety of resources and assistance options to help farmers. Consisting of immediate support: Paying utility bills, Groceries and other monetary assistance. Along with hosting an event called Rural Day Off (RDO) which “ invite[s] up to 50 farming families to a day off the property.” They “provide Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert and Entertainment for all ages, giving them a chance to socialise, feel valued, remembered and walk away feeling “they are not alone”.  Each Family receives a “Rural Goody Bag consisting of items such as dog food, vouchers to local stores and food hampers. There is also an opportunity for some pampering with treats such as haircuts, massages and beauty treatments are also on offer. This day allows rural communities to “indulge in their own ‘Self Care’ in a relaxed and friendly environment.”

The Farmbot Australia team are always looking at ways to help farmers. In the pursuit, we’ve partnered with Drought Angels. Raising funds for every monitor Farmbot Australia sell in December and January. Every sale will include a $50 donation (tax-deductible receipt provided to the customer). Farmbot Australia will match with another $50. We are providing Drought Angels with a total of $100 per monitor. Donation receipts distributed upon request by phoning 02 9901 4798 or info@website.stage.fmbt.au. If you’ve been considering adding Farmbot on your property to #knowyourwater with our remote monitoring solution, now is the time to order and #knowyourhelping Drought Angels.

The Waterly Quarterly – October 19

The Farmbot – The Waterly Quarterly
#knowyourwater 

#Welcome

It was a busy quarter here at Farmbot HQ since we last shared news with you back in July.  Our team have travelled to every state and territory in Australia. Attended too many events to list, won an amazing award and appeared in over 150 media articles, helping Farmers better manage their water. Of most significance, our tech team have been putting the finishing touches on the next generation Farmbot. The culmination of all the things we’ve learnt, feedback from you- our valued customers. It is enabling us to generate the best technology we can find to support your needs now and in the future. It is an exciting time to be working with you to help make your businesses more productive and profitable in these testing times for many in Australian agriculture. We thank you all for your valued contribution, custom and feedback. There’s some more info and links in our newsletter below so that you can keep in touch with what we are up to, give us your feedback and #knowyourwater

Special Update
#NextGenerationMonitor

Technology moves fast. Ag is moving even faster. 
Farmbot centres on water monitoring. Farmbot monitoring is changing lives (as Matt’s story showcases). Our customers are now seeking additional tech solutions that can communicate via cellular or satellite connection.  
Next Generation Farmbot connects to even more devices. 

Ahead of the Next Generation launch, pre-sale offers are currently available. Offering significant savings on both Satellite and Cellular (3G/4G/LTE) plans for a short time only. For more information visit our website Farmbot website.

Next Generation Monitor

#Knowyourneighbour

Refer a friend to Farmbot and receive a month’s free data! Just get them to mention your name to have free data applied.

Check out how Matt Wood from Blina Station WA is using Farmbot.

Peace of mind for your most important resource… water for your livestock
Peace of mind for your most important resource… water for your livestock

Wilmot Cattle based 90km out of Armidale were devastated by the Ebor fires in August. The Farmbot’s team thoughts are with Stuart Austin and his Family at the Wilmot Cattle Company. We wish them and all others impacted by fires around the country the best in restoring their operations.

To help farmers in need please donate to; https://www.ruralaid.org.au/donate/

Product Developments & Improvements
#Dashboard updates & improvements

We are continuing to upgrade the program of our user interface and dashboard to add further functionality and reporting for our users. One of the most common questions that we come across at Farmbot is how can I get more from my dashboard. Luckily the answer is simple! 
We can provide you with the most accurate and timely alerts, your tanks calibration needs to be accurate. The two critical points for the calibration is:

– What is the height of your tank? (measuring from the bottom of the tank to the overflow)
– What is the volume of your tank in either litres/gallons

An important reminder for all users – unless you have thick mud in the bottom of your tank, your sensor probe should sit on the bottom of the tank for the most accurate levels.
For any support contact us on 02 9901 4798

#Travel&Events

Farmbot has been to over 20 events throughout Australia, which our team has travelled far and wide for. Key events we have attended include Agquip in Gunnedah, Henty Field Day, Dowerin Field Day and a huge number of other regional rural shows and events across Australia. We would love to go to a rural show near you so please let us know what you think are the best rural events around the country that we should attend and talk more about ‘knowing your water’.

Field Days

#Mediaupdate

Farmbot has been popping up across your local media outlets, everyone’s talking about Farmbot.

#ACCOMSaward

Farmbot and our partner Pivotel Satellite have been awarded 2019 Satellite Provider of the Year Award at the ACOMMS Awards.

The award was granted due to the innovative remote water monitoring solutions, which Farmbot is offering to Australian Farmers around the nation as well as our Satellite Provider Pivotel helping us connect across the countryside. 

ACCOMMS Awards

#Stayintouch

If you would like to get more details on the firm at any time please contact our head office. If you’d like to stay in touch and keep across all the action happening at Farmbot please follow us on Facebook, InstagramTwitter or LinkedIn.

The Waterly Quarterly – July 19

Welcome to the Farmbot Waterly Quarterly

It’s my great pleasure to provide you with this and future updates to keep you informed on news, insights and key developments from Farmbot that may help you #knowyourwater.

The first half of 2019 has been an extremely busy and exciting time for our business as we have consolidated our position as a leading Agtech in Australia and positioned the business for future growth and scale. We thank you for your custom, feedback and support and hope you enjoy these regular updates.

Andrew R Coppin Chairman and Managing Director


Headline Numbers

  • 1500 – Active Monitors in the field
  • 346 – Number of customers around Australia
  • 2hrs 30min – Average response time to customer query last quarter
  • 18 days – Average delivery time from order last quarter
  • 02 9901 4798 – Phone Number to call for Customer Service or email us at info@website.stage.fmbt.au

General Business Update

Commencing the year under new executive leadership the firm revisited all key systems, processes and metrics. The company relocated to a larger office and manufacturing space which allowed for greater manufacturing and creation of a full outdoor testing facility in a single, more controlled environment. Throughout this period, product manufacturing and testing has significantly increased with lead times from order to delivery reducing steadily as a result. We recently launched a new website with significantly more information, so check it out at www.farmbot.com.au and give us your feedback.

New Product Development

The core product range for Farmbot now includes: Core Mk V Water Level Monitor, Rain Gauge, Water Pressure, Water Flow and Electric Fence Monitoring. The products are all near real-time, stand-alone, self-install and available via satellite or 3G/4G. The near live functionality and algorithms of all Farmbot products are unique and allow for far better management of remote rural resources. Hardware testing on the next generation Mk VI series of monitors has been progressing with in-field testing of multiple units coming in the coming weeks. This new unit, set for release in September, will seriously upgrade functionality and integration of a range of additional sensors and allow us to roll out further remote functionality such as pump control, image capture and water quality, as well as integrating with other 3rd party sensors over time. Please let us know if you would like to be included on the wait list for this new product or others mentioned here by emailing info@website.stage.fmbt.au
 

THE EMERGING FARMBOT ECOSYSTEM


Travels and Events

Throughout the half we have travelled far and wide across this great country of ours and even across the globe. Key events we have attended include Evoke Ag in Melbourne, The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco, FarmfestFarm2Fork and a huge number of regional rural shows and events across Australia.     
We would love to go to a rural show near you so please let us know what you think are the best rural events around the country that we should attend and talk more about water. 
                                 

Rural and Other Partnerships

 Rural and Other Partnerships
In April Farmbot signed a complete national supply agreement with Ruralco. The Ruralco network allows Farmbot a prime retail position in 105 water focused Total EdenPro-Water and Irrigation Tas stores and links Farmbot to a further 500 Ruralco owned and affiliated outlets through the CRT network. The supply agreement puts Farmbot as the leading product in the IOT and AgTech Water space. Additionally, we have other alliances and collaborations with The Meat and Livestock AssociationPioneer TanksEldersLandmark and Rural Aid. You should be able to find a Farmbot in any good rural retailer near you..or just give us a call.                                                                

Team Members

Our team that are here to support you at all times has continued to grow as the firm has gone from strength to strength and now includes 3 full-time business development professionals ( Michael (GM), Rachael and Nick) as well as our Customer Service Officers ( Tess and Catalina ). 


Biggest Challenges

Our biggest challenges of the half have been failing water level sensors, primarily as a result of extremely harsh water and climates on some properties. We are working actively to trial new and improved sensors and technology to counter areas where this has been a challenge and we will not rest until we have better and more reliable solutions.
 

Asks

We are always looking to talk to more Farmers or people with rural properties. There is no Farm too big or too small for Farmbot, so we appreciate your referrals of Farming friends or executives from Agribusinesses. 


Stay in touch

If you would like to get more details at any time, please contact us and we would be pleased to provide you more information. If you’d like to stay in touch and keep across all the action happening at Farmbot, please follow us on TwitterInstagramFacebook or LinkedIn,or our blog on the website.

Special, unique rewards and offers are frequently shared with those who share an image of their latest Farmbot installation on social media – so lets see what your Farmbot is up to and there could be a pleasant reward awaiting those who do.

Feel free to call our friendly team on 02 9901 4798

 
 
Thanks for your continued support and we welcome your comments, ideas and input!!

The Farmbot Team!

Client Story: David & Meredith Barrett

After a series of stock water issues, we decided that it was time to invest in water tank level sensors. We found FarmBot on the web and after a couple of phone calls purchased 2 units.

The units are very competitively priced and easy to install, and have now given us peace of mind that our stock water is right. We were so impressed with the system that after 3 weeks we purchased another unit.

The purchase of the units coincided with a major breakdown of our automatic pumping system. Checking our tank levels could be done using our phones; from anywhere that reception was available, saving time and fuel, by not having to physically drive to each of the storages. We only went to the pump when the tanks needed pumping.

The minimum tank level alert was invaluable, allowing us to avoid any potential major water issues. The service from FarmBot is unbelievable, with emails responded to almost immediately. We recently had an issue with a unit on a Friday evening. On the Saturday morning, we received an email informing us of the issue and that a replacement unit would be sent to us on Monday. The constant remote monitoring of our sensors by Farmbot ensures that our sensors are working correctly.

We can highly recommend the FarmBot system and the amazing service that we have received during the time we have owned the units.

David Barrett, Queensland