James and Paul Diamond, principals of agtech start-up AirAgri, on the family property at Mansfield, are putting safety for Australia farming families front and centre.
A safety tracking and alert solution developed by a north-east Victorian agtech start-up is giving farming families peace of mind.
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Brothers James and Paul Diamond, from Mansfield, operate AirAgri and have launched a mobile app, which works in conjunction with a pocket-sized iOT (Internet of Things) tracking device.
The tracking device uses the “most bullet proof iOT technology and network”, the Telstra Cat M1, which gives extended coverage across Australia.
“This network gives beyond the cell tower coverage. Every 10 minutes the tracking device will ping its location back to AirAgri and the system uses a set of proprietary rules to determine if that person is in trouble or not,” AirAgri co-founder James said.
“If the person doesn’t dismiss the alarm or audible cue, an alert is sent to the registered users.
“AirAgri provides a series of automated safety notifications using proprietary rules, location, emergency and medical information, along with access to inventory and safe handling working documents like a digital filing cabinet sitting on the farmer’s phone.
“It is practical access to information that doesn’t sit in the front pocket of the Polaris or on the seat of the HiLux.”
For AirAgri chief executive officer, Paul, the app gives reassurance when working alone in remote, hilly country on the family Mansfield beef and sheep property.
“This tracking device gives me the confidence I will be going home to my wife and kids. I’m a whiteboard, notepad old fashion schoolish kind of bloke — I’m the hardest sell but just knowing that it could potentially save my life if something goes wrong is huge,” Paul said.
AirAgri was one of 20 emerging agtech start-ups to benefit from a $50,000 grant under the Victorian Government’s $1 million AgTech Grants Program.
The business was supported by the Victorian Government’s $15 million AgTech Regional Innovation Network (AgRIN) to complete the “Rocket Seeder” and the Farmers2Founders pre-accelerator programs helping them refine their idea and develop their business skills.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Victorian Government and the Department of Agriculture on the launch of AirAgri and the protection of farmers across this great state,” James said.
The AgTech Seeds Rocket Seeder allowed the brothers to learn from industry expertise, explore business frameworks and curate ideas.
“Eighty per cent of farmers don’t use any form of technology, so there is a huge opportunity for the sector to become smarter and more efficient,” James said.
“Technology to us is about reducing the flow of information and getting the right information to the farmer at the right time.”
According to James, AirAgri’s value proposition was never about helping farmers to drive yields or efficiency for the sake of record keeping.
It’s based on helping the broader family, business operator or landowner become more productive, sustainable and most importantly, safe.
Within AirAgri, 100 per cent of the data is stored and sovereign in Australia and is owned by the individual, who at any time can delete their data.
The farmer can download their digital map and export it in a global format into a competing platform or another format for later use, or in turn, AirAgri can import data from other platforms.
“We have been using the application in a closed beta for over two years, with over 200 properties on board,” James said.
“Our key focus is now the safety — there is no better reason to get out of bed than to try and make sure every Aussie farmer comes home at the end of every day.”
AirAgri provides an invitation-only rental service to rural businesses for the tracking devices at $1/day whereby the farmer doesn’t have the worry of a Telstra account.
The next step for AirAgri is a wrist band version of the tracking device, giving core body temperature and location, via an integrated iOT simcard.
“Our job is about having solutions making the most out of what we have got — we are not a Telstra or network company,” James said.
“All of our software runs in the cloud — there is nothing to download or install, and all our software works offline which is important for the rural sector.
“If a farmer downloads the app and then goes out where there are potential hazards, risks and no mobile reception, they can still use the application.
“If there is an accident or incident on the farm, the first thing businesses will be asked for is insurance policy and safe work handling documents. We can enable that for farmers in one click and set reminders.”
The brothers are no strangers to innovation, exploring digital mapping way back in the 1980s around the family table on the Mansfield farm.
They went on to develop an early prototype of individual livestock and property management system for recording assets, stock rotations at a mob or individual animal level, and animal health treatments.
Today, they sit at the precipice of safety, productivity and sustainability.
“Across the country there is a consistent approach to OH&S with every farm required to legally demonstrate their farm map, where the first aid kits and evacuation points are.
“Our research shows 80 per cent of farm businesses don’t have that in place. Where record keeping and technology can really help is with safety,” he said.
“When farmers are doing riskier tasks, they are bending productivity — it’s about helping protect Australian farming families. We want to make sure they come back to their family every day.
“The asset and the land they have worked hard to obtain, keep in the family or build a business around, they don’t want to put that at risk with these new OH&S laws and restrictions.”
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