Kim Forrester, a pastoralist in Western Australia's Gascoyne region, uses modern technology like live-streaming water tank levels and cattle data analysis to manage his 10,000-head herd spread over 300,000 hectares. Christie Pearson from the Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries notes that while southern farms quickly adopted AgTech, northern pastoralists face challenges due to vast distances and infrastructure issues. At Manbulloo Station near Katherine, cows are fitted with Fitbit-like devices to monitor maternal behaviors and herd interactions, aiming to reduce calf loss by collecting data on each cow's unique habits and responses post-calving.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Western Australia's remote Gascoyne region, Kim Forrester uses modern technology to manage his family’s pastoral station, Winning Station, which runs over 300,000 hectares and has 10,000 head of cattle. Forrester now relies on digital tools such as live water tank level streams from paddocks and computer-monitored cattle data, replacing the need for extensive travel by motorbike, plane, or car. Christie Pearson, livestock team leader at the Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (NTDAF), noted that pastoral properties in northern Australia typically manage larger herds than those in southern regions, making technological solutions crucial for efficiency. The NTDAF is currently trialing cow "Fitbits" to address significant challenges like calf loss on remote stations. Forrester emphasizes the importance of adopting technology to reduce labor costs and ensure survival in a rapidly digitizing agriculture industry.
Written for “Cow Monitoring Technology” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
Pastoralists say modern technology is the only way to stay competitive in the cattle industry.
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technology → say → industry
Cow "Fitbit" trials are in progress to tackle some of the biggest challenges on northern pastoral stations, like calf loss.
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trials → tackle → loss
When Kim Forrester started School of the Air at his family's station in Western Australia's remote Gascoyne, his only means of communication was a pedal radio.
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means → start → communication
Today he live streams water tank levels from his paddocks on his mobile phone and checks cattle data on his computer.
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he → stream → computer
"Before was either on the motorbike or in the aeroplane or in a motor car and driving vast distances," Mr Forrester said.
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Forrester → drive → distances
"Now we've got a pretty good handle on it from an iPad."
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we → get → iPad
Mr Forrester runs 10,000 head of cattle over more than 300,000 hectares at Winning Station, near Coral Bay, about 1,100 kilometres north of Perth.
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Forrester → run → Perth
His job is still driven by manual labour, but as Australia's agriculture industry rapidly digitises, he said embracing technology was critical.
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embracing → drive → technology
"You're trying to operate with the least amount of labour you possibly can, purely to survive," he said.
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he → try → labour
"No doubt with AI coming along, the next 10 years will be an amazing development.
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years → come → ?
"Probably in 10 years we won't be using helicopters, we'll be sitting in shipping containers flying drones."
AgTech divide
The tech developments are helping tackle some of the biggest challenges in the agriculture industry.
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developments → use → industry
While southern dairy farms were early adopters, challenges around distance and infrastructure made things more challenging across northern Australia.
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things → make → Australia
Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (NTDAF) livestock team leader Christie Pearson said the scale of operations was vastly different.
"If you think about a standard property down south, you've probably got less than a couple of hundred head, or you've got animals that you can physically see in the paddock," Ms Pearson said.
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Pearson → say → paddock
"Up here we're still having contracting camps out, we're still mustering, we're still using helicopters.
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we → have → helicopters
'Fitbits' help track losses
At Manbulloo Station just outside Katherine, Ms Pearson observes the movements of 140 cows wearing technology similar to the Fitbit activity monitors used to track exercise in humans.
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Pearson → observe → humans
She is collecting data on maternal behaviours and herd interactions to better understand calf loss.
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She → collect → loss
The herd is sporting ear tags and GPS collars that track movement and behaviours, including time spent ruminating and grazing, herd interactions, and cows' responses to calf loss.
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that → sport → loss
Ms Pearson said they had noticed each cow's maternal behaviours were different.
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behaviours → say → ?
"There's some cows that leave their calves out in the paddock, and they walk into water for up to a week after calving before they'll bring their calf into the water," she said.
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she → be → water
"Then there's some calves who are born right near the water."
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who → be → water
These tracking device trials are taking place across two northern pastoral properties as part of Central Queensland (CQ) University's "Mooternal" project.
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trials → take → project
Senior researcher Anita Chang has been monitoring 100 cows at Belmont Station in Rockhampton for more than a year, with surprising results.
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Chang → monitor → results
"Last year at Belmont we found that one calf was cross-suckling with two separate cows, so there were two cows that were equally invested in the calf's survival," Dr Chang said.
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Chang → find → survival
"In some instances it's as much about the calf as it is about the cow, so the calf is the one pursuing different nursing opportunities.
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calf → pursue → opportunities
"
The trials will continue for a further three years.
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trials → continue → years
Back on Winning Station, Kim Forrester believes easy access to technology could be game-changing.
"Surviving calves on the ground is our biggest profit driver," Mr Forrester said.
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Forrester → believe → ground
"One death of a calf means that cow hasn't produced a calf that year, so you're running that cow, but no income off it."
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you → mean → it
The Aporia