The ability to save two hours a day that would normally be spent checking waters has reinforced the decision by Westwood, Central Queensland beef Property Manager Mark Suhr to install an Observant Remote Management System™.
Mr Suhr manages a grazing cell on the property “Montevideo” for Peter and Andrew Lawrie about 50 km west of Rockhampton.
The focus of his management is to increase the numbers of his Droughtmaster/Santa cross cows, improve and make the property more sustainable and a desire to “leave the land in better condition than when we took it over.”
Each day “before breakfast and after dinner”, he uses the Observant system to monitor the watering points and check the condition of the single wire electric fencing that divides up the grazing cells.
“We wanted something to make it quicker to check the cells,” Mr Suhr said.
“We now use the principles of low stress stock handling with all our cattle and in this cell system they have a significant respect for the hot wires.”
He said Andrew first identified the opportunity Observant systems provided through the Rockhampton based agents, McCracken’s Water Services.
“We were looking for something to fit the bill and it stood well out in the field—purely for what we could do with it,” Mr Suhr said.
Since the system has been installed at “Montevideo” it monitors three field units, a bore fitted with a submersible pump, the fencing system and a network of tanks totalling 91 000 litres that supplies the cells 15 watering points.
The relationship with Observant Pty Ltd since the system was installed has also been an important part of the success.
“The service (from Observant) is really good and James Skipworth (technical support) has been brilliant,” Mr Suhr said.
“He is always around if we have a problem and he’s generally got the answer or will get back to us when he finds it.”
“At one stage we needed to replace a field unit and it was replaced straight away, they are really good with hardware.”
Next on Mr Suhr’s program is to introduce a nutrient injection system for the stock water.
“The dry lick we have been using is okay, but we are going to use the Observant system to monitor the nutrient injector administering either urea (for protein) or seaweed supplement (for minerals),” he said.
Mr Suhr said he would recommend the Observant system to his neighbours. It had proven efficiencies in time of drought and in times where labour was scarce, “the more you can do yourself on your own and time saved was fantastic.”
“The system will certainly pay for itself in time and diesel,” Mr Suhr said.