Ep 2: Remote Sensors with Farmo

Eposode 2

Remote sensors are the first product many farmers turn to when dipping their toes into agtech.  

In this episode, agtech adoption specialist and South Australian cattle farmer Dr Penny Schulz joins us to talk about about the peace of mind this technology can offer. We also speak to Nick Seymour, founder of Farmo and creator of the Water Rat trough and tank sensor, who came up with the product after a near miss on his own farm. And we hear from farmer Mark Lazzari, who has been using the Water Rat on his remotely managed cattle propert

FEATURING:

Dr Penny Schulz and her husband Jason run a family sheep and cattle operation at Field in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region. She also works off-farm delivering projects to the livestock industry and university teaching, with her expertise in the fields of agtech adoption, livestock genetics and farm business management. She has recently been appointed to the role of Livestock Technical Specialist with the SA Drought Resilience, Adoption and Innovation Hub, with a focus on farmer adoption – and area of great passion for Penny.

Nick Seymour is the founder of Farmo, and an ag-tech entrepreneur who manages an organic beef cattle property in Southern Australia. Nick’s focus is assisting the agriculture industry to meet the evolving challenges of labour shortage, climate change, bio-security and food security.  In 2022, Nick was awarded the Australian Good Design Award – Gold Winner for his design of the simple yet ingenious Water Rat trough sensor. The Water Rat has since gone on to sell all over Australia and recently begun exporting to Canada and the USA. Nick is responsible for numerous original designs including a farm gate sensor, bi-directional people counter and remote pump controllers that form a growing ecosystem of sensors under the Farmo brand. Farmo is an end-to-end solution that integrates data from a range of sensors in a simple to use and easy to understand end-user interface available on the phone in the paddock or laptop in the office. 

Mark Lazzari is a cattle farmer from Dunkeld in Victoria who has been using the Water Rat trough and tank sensor for about a year. Mark says the Water Rat gives him peace of mind because he has a farm at Byaduk, a 45 minute drive away, that he only is able to visit a couple of times a week. He trades mostly Angus cattle and uses rotational grazing management practices.  

Olivia Calver (Host): A blessing but also a curse sometimes not being able to switch off. No excuse. For sure. 

Olivia Calver is a rural and agricultural journalist from the Riverina in NSW, who has worked as an ABC Rural Reporter, filing for programs including the Country Hour and Landline. Previously, Olivia wrote for The Land newspaper, travelling all over southern NSW to tell farmers’ stories. Olivia lives on a cropping and sheep family farm near Jerilderie and is passionate about keeping up to date with the latest in agricultural news and technology.