Multiple startups now offer tech for moving and monitoring cattle, from solar-powered smart collars (Halter, NoFence) to operator-controlled drones (SkyKelpie). New player on the block GrazeMate is offering a third, completely autonomous drone option that ranchers can set in motion with an app… and then get on with the day job. The brainchild of 19-year-old robotics and ML enthusiast Sam Rogers, who was raised on a cattle station in Australia, GrazeMate has just secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding led by Y Combinator, with participation from Antler, NextGen Ventures, and Meat & Livestock Australia. The tech, which Rogers is currently running on DJI drones (more on that later), utilizes proprietary reinforcement learning models that enable drones to autonomously respond to cattle behavior in real-time, mimicking stockmanship techniques that took generations to master. The first generation—controlled by a mobile app—focuses on mustering cattle, flying above cows to move them from one area to another in rotational grazing systems or from pasture to a paddock (or vice versa) on a seasonal basis. The drones can also take pictures of water troughs and fence lines, enabling ranchers to see at a glance if action is needed. The second generation—in beta -testing mode—incorporates more advanced analytics, enabling ranchers to estimate cattle weight and dry matter availability, says Rogers. He is currently working with two pilot farms in Queensland and New South Wales mustering thousands of cattle per week over 1.7 million acres, and is now turning his attention to the US market. “The hair…
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