Applications for NZ Heifer Rearing and Contract Grazing Operations
Contract graziers operate on performance outcomes. Whether rearing dairy heifers, beef cattle, or grazing store stock, the job is to deliver liveweight gain within agreed timeframes.
But without regular, objective weight data, subjective issues creep in from both sides. Growth rates become guesswork. Problem animals go unnoticed. And when clients question performance, anecdotal evidence doesn’t carry much weight.
Current Weighing Challenges
Cost: Most grazing blocks don’t have crush scales. The expense of scales, infrastructure, mustering, labour are only suitable for some operations.
Labour and logistics: For multi-client grazing companies, weighing operations require mobilising staff and equipment to scattered properties. It’s time-intensive, expensive, and infrequent.
Counting: Keeping accurate stock counts is another challenge. Mobs of 50-150 head spread across extensive farms with gullies and tomos. Missing one animal for a week can mean finding a dead one later. Counting through a gate while stock move isn’t foolproof.
Result: Many graziers rely on visual assessment and hope growth rates are on track. Clients get invoiced without objective proof of performance.
How Scanabull Works for Grazing Operations
The WeighApp runs on iPhone Pro. Graziers scan cattle in the pen, yard, or race — no crush or expensive infrastructure required. Individual or mob-average weights are captured in seconds.
Each scan creates a time-stamped, weight-stamped photographic record that can be shared with clients.
Accuracy: Targets the same 95% benchmark as crush scales.
Future development: The in-field WeighPoint (automated camera at water troughs) will enable daily to weekly weight tracking and stock counts through animal recognition. If an animal doesn’t visit the trough, the system alerts the grazier — flagging potential issues before they become dead stock.
Practical Applications
Weigh-on/Weigh-off Verification
- Objective liveweight at arrival and departure
- Photo-stamped proof eliminates disputes over starting weights
- Clients receive visual records showing cattle condition and weight at both ends
Mid-Contract Progress Checks
- Regular weighing (fortnightly, monthly, or as agreed) tracks growth rates
- Identify underperformers early (illness, parasites, feed issues)
- Adjust management before missing targets
- Provide clients with progress updates backed by data
Growth Rate Tracking
- Calculate average daily gain (ADG) across mobs
- Compare performance against contracted targets (e.g., 0.7kg/day for dairy heifers)
- Demonstrate value to clients with measurable outcomes
Problem Identification
- Spot sick animals or poor-doers that aren’t keeping pace with the mob
- Weigh individuals without yarding entire mobs
- Make informed decisions about treatment or culling
Premium Service Differentiation
- Data-backed performance reporting sets professional graziers apart
- Weight-stamped records demonstrate accountability
- Clients pay premium rates for verifiable results
Use Case Examples
Dairy Heifer Rearing
Target: Raise replacement heifers from weaning (90-100kg) to mating weight (340kg+) over 15 months.
Challenge: Many heifers miss 6-month, 15-month, or mating weight targets. Grazier gets blamed, but without data, it’s unclear whether the issue was starting weight, feed quality, or animal health.
With Scanabull:
- Weigh-on establishes baseline (photo-stamped proof of starting condition)
- Monthly weigh-ins track progress against targets
- Identify heifers falling behind early enough to intervene
- Weigh-off demonstrates contracted outcomes were met
- Client receives comprehensive weight records showing growth trajector
Store Cattle Grazing
Target: Maintain or modestly grow store cattle (450-550kg) awaiting finishing or sale.
Challenge: Client wants cattle held in good condition without excessive feed costs. Hard to prove “maintenance” without weighing.
With Scanabull:
- Weigh-on and weigh-off show cattle maintained weight or grew modestly
- Periodic checks confirm cattle aren’t losing condition
- Photo-stamped evidence of stock condition throughout contract
ROI Considerations
For individual farmer-graziers:
- No infrastructure investment required (iPhone + WeighPoint only)
- Reduces client disputes (objective proof of performance)
- Supports premium pricing for data-backed service
For multi-client grazing companies:
- Eliminates need to mobilise weighing crews to scattered properties
- Staff can weigh on routine farm visits without additional logistics
- Scales across multiple properties and clients with minimal overhead
- Weight-stamped records streamline client reporting
Conservative example: A grazing company manages 2,000 heifers across 10 properties on 15-month contracts. Best practice recommends weighing every 8 weeks to track growth and identify issues early.
Traditional approach:
- 10 properties × 7 weighing visits per contract (weigh-on + 6 x 8-weekly checks) × 4 hours per visit = 280 staff-hours per contract cycle
- Vehicle/equipment costs, logistics coordination, scheduling constraints
- Mobilising crush scales, trailer, and 2-3 staff to each property
With Scanabull:
- Farm managers weigh during routine paddock checks
- No additional mobilisation or equipment hire, just WeighPoints for each property with analysis and client communications done by the grazing operation
- Same or better data quality, fraction of the cost and time
Stock Counting and Monitoring (Future Feature)
The upcoming in-field WeighPoint will address one of grazing’s most persistent challenges: daily stock counts.
How it works:
- Automated camera installed at water trough
- Cattle weighed and counted as they drink
- Animal recognition tracks individual animals
- System alerts if an animal hasn’t visited the trough within 24 hours
Why this matters:
- Graziers can identify missing animals immediately (not a week later)
- Reduces dead stock losses
- Confirms mob counts without manual counting through gates
- Flags sick or injured animals (behavioural changes, reduced trough visits)
This feature is in development and represents a step-change in how extensive grazing operations manage stock welfare and accountability.
Client Reporting and Accountability
Weight-stamped photographic records provide:
- Visual proof of cattle condition at weigh-on, throughout contract, and at weigh-off
- Objective data for invoicing (liveweight gain × $/kg or $/head/day contracts)
- Transparent performance reporting (growth rates, ADG, target achievement)
- Reduced disputes (data replaces anecdotal “they looked fine to me”)
Clients increasingly expect data-backed service. Graziers who provide objective weight records and growth tracking differentiate themselves from those relying on eyeballing and hope.
For more information:
www.scanabull.com
weighin@scanabull.com
Scanabull — Low-stress weighing. Real-time visual data. Built for NZ livestock industries.
