Optimizing Farm Performance and Profitability with PLF

Providing real-time management information for agricultural operations, Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) in Queensland, Australia, is saving farmers time and money with IoT and automated sensor monitoring.

Using numerous connectivity options provided by M2M Connectivity, a Sierra Wireless Company, such as LoRaWAN®, LTE-M, and NB-IoT, PLF has managed to raise productivity and reduce operating costs for farmers by capturing vital sensor data and information on:

• Water Levels and Flow
• On-Farm Weather
• Soil Moisture and Temperature
• GPS Positioning of Vehicle and Equipment
• Animal Identification – location, weight, and overall wellbeing

“At the end of the day we want to be the end-to-end solution finder for Australian farmers,” says Paul Stapleton, Managing Director, PLF Australia.

LoRaWAN ® Devices for Agriculture Monitoring

PLF has been utilizing the SensorNode LoRaWAN® to interface a wide range of sensors (temperature, water level, humidity, and more) to remotely receive data and information for several applications:

• Reservoir Levels: The farmer can remotely see the current water level and how long it takes to be refilled
• Bore Pump Monitoring: Gives the farmers the ability to see if there are any issues in the waterline (leak, overflowing, etc.)
• Weather Stations: Farmers can make successful operational decisions for their crops and livestock
• Soil Conditions: Farmers can make informed decisions on irrigation, nutrient requirements, crop rotation, and more
• Animal Monitoring: Farmers can improve and optimize their livestock operations

When PLF requires a more robust device, they opt to use the SensorData LoRaWAN®.

“The SensorData does add that extra bit of flexibility when we need a bit more antenna power, or an antenna higher in the ground, or further away from the actual device,” says Stapleton.

GPS Tracking for Health and Safety

PLF also uses several battery-powered (Oyster, Guppy, and Yabby LoRaWAN®) and wired G62 LoRaWAN® devices to track and monitor quad bikes and other assets on large farming properties.

To improve the health and safety of farmers using quad bikes, the property owners need to know where the vehicle is, whether it’s moving or not.

“You’re our go-to for all LoRaWAN® questions, as you put the effort and time into increasing the ‘LoRa ecosystem’. It’s great to have the Digital Matter range to refer to when we come across any LoRaWAN® requests.”