Making connections
06 June 2019
Calum Carruth, Murchison House Station, and Annie Brox, Origo Farm, demonstrating a remote weather station at the field day.
Calum and Belinda Carruth have installed their own whole-farm connectivity system on the historic Murchison House Station. They opened their farm gates to share lessons learned and talk all things in the livestock technology sphere at a field day in May.
In partnership with ag-tech company Origo and with backing from MLA Donor Company (MDC), the Carruths have taken their 126,000ha station from a base of zero technology to a routine user of everything from remote water sensing and pump controls to automated gates and remote livestock monitoring. They say the information technology project has unlocked major profitability and productivity improvements in the family’s rangeland goat and beef cattle business.
The field day provided an opportunity for other producers to see first-hand connectivity in action. It attracted more than 50 people, including agriculture students. The program included field walks showcasing various connectivity methods and applications, and talks from Calum Carruth, Annie Brox of Origo and MLA’s David Beatty.
Annie said connectivity wasn’t simply monitoring a pump – it allowed the Carruths to control the farm.
Calum believes if it can happen at Murchison House Station, one of WA’s oldest pastoral properties and a remote operation, it can be made to work anywhere.
“Once you’ve done your install on the tanks, the updates come through roughly every seven minutes completely free after installation. There are no SMS or data charges,” he explained.
