At Agribition: Livestock tech companies earn new spotlight

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Three companies were crowned winners at the first annual Canadian Animal Ag Tech Awards on Thursday during Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.

The event spotlighted companies creating technology for the livestock industry, with products ranging from water sensors to artificial intelligence-powered monitoring systems.

Australia’s Smart Paddock received the Innovation Award. The company’s GPS ear tags allow producers to track and monitor their cattle. Producers can also track other assets such as vehicles, and monitor fence lines and water tanks with the company’s products.

Producers are looking for “timely solutions” to alert them to “stray or stolen animals,” says Darren Wolchyn, founder and CEO of Smart Paddock.

FarmSimple, based out of Vibank, Sask., received the Rising Star Award.

The company, founded by brothers Katlin and Dustin Lang, sells Herd Hand, a product that monitors remote water systems. Herd Hand texts producers if water runs low. FarmSimple in 2022 won an Innovation Award at Ag in Motion at Langham, Sask.

Katlin Lang, co-founder of FarmSimple, explains his company’s water-monitoring tech to a panel of judges at Canadian Western Agribition on Nov. 23. Farm Simple was crowned the “Rising Star” during the Canadian Animal Ag Tech Awards. (Lisa Guenther photo)

OneCup AI was awarded Business of the Year. The Canadian company uses artificial intelligence and cameras — a system dubbed “BETSY” — to recognize individual cattle and monitor nutritional intake, growth, lameness and other health indicators.

Producers can monitor animals through their smartphones or laptops, and the system will notify them in emergencies such as calving issues or animals escaping.

Mokah Shmigelsky, founder of OneCup AI, pitches her tech to a panel of judges at Canadian Western Agribition on Nov. 23. OneCup AI took home “Business of the Year” from the Canadian Animal Ag Tech Awards. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Other finalists included Flokk, Dyneval, CATTLEytics Incorporated and HerdWhistle Technologies.

Each finalist pitched their technology to a panel of judges on show grounds on Wednesday. Judging criteria included team/experience, technology and market potential/finance.

Deloitte sponsored the event and presented the Business of the Year Award, while Innovation Saskatchewan presented the Innovation Award, and Economic Development Regina presented the Rising Star Award.

— Lisa Guenther is editor of Canadian Cattlemen.

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About the author

Lisa Guenther is the senior editor of magazines at Glacier FarmMedia, and the editor of Canadian Cattlemen. She previously worked as a field editor for Grainews and Country Guide. Lisa grew up on a cow-calf operation in northwestern Saskatchewan and still lives in the same community. She holds a graduate degree in professional communications from Royal Roads University and an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Alberta. She also writes fiction in her spare time and has had two novels published by NeWest Press in Edmonton.