Case Study – Bannockburn Feedlot

• Name: Steve Munge
• Property name: Bannockburn Feedlot, Bell QLD
• Operation: Cross-bred feedlot
• Property size: 4,200 acres
• Farmbot technology: 9 Water Level Monitors,5 Rain Gauge and 2 Line Pressure Sensors

With 800 steers to feed and a team of staff, Steve Munge has a lot on his plate. He had been managing the properties water assets with a camera providing still-shots of the water stations. What was needed was better visibility of water level capacity, and what the flow rates were. In the past, if yards lost access to water, the stock would get distressed and start destroying infrastructure and fencing. That would then have a knock-on effect of losing more time and money fixing those issues.

“Farmbot has saved us countless amounts of time, money and water without having to physically be checking tanks. Across five different employees, everybody gets a warning, so whoever is closest can get to it and fix it quickly, so we don’t lose too much water. I probably check the MyFarmbot app about 15 times a day.“

Bannockburn Feedlot uses nine Water Level Monitors, five Rain Gauges, two Line Pressure Sensors, and are looking to add Pump Control to the operation soon.

“It’s much easier to rectify something at 50% full than it is at 0% full. Ever since we’ve started with the Farmbot system, we haven’t had a pipeline go dry. Which has saved us anywhere from $5000-$10,000 in itself. Our diesel fuel, usage and maintenance on our backup generator has gone down by 75% since having Farmbot. We just watch the graphs on MyFarmbot and match our pumping times to the most efficient times with our water usage. The greatest part of it is how quickly it warns us. Being able to pick up that you’re at a water loss or a pump hasn’t started. To put a dollar value on that, I don’t know, but put a stress value on it, it’s massive. The peace of mind is phenomenal. Since we’ve had Farmbot, our cattle have never been out of water.”

To find out more about how many times Farmbot has helped Steve Munge save time, money and water, check out the full case study below. Flip through the pages or download and read offline later.