Herdwatch

Completely honoured to have won ‘Beef Farmer Of The Year’ at the British Farming Awards 2024. 🏆 I couldn’t have done it without all of the hard work everyone has put in before and around me, providing the perfect spring board to drive progress of our family farm. Thank you to Herdwatch for the original nomination and to the judges for deeming me a suitable winner.

After visiting Newport (England) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 yesterday to meet our amazing Herdwatch UK Team 🇬🇧 for the official opening of our new office in Agri-EPI Centre, I am in Newport in sunny Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 today for the #BCVA Vet conference with our TB Testing software colleagues at Comtag/Lilac - aka TB Master by Herdwatch! It's been one of those "pinch me" moments seeing how far we've come as a business and as a team in our UK presence since Meleri Griffith joined us just 2 years ago, with almost 10 people now based here dedicated to serving UK farmers and vets, and growing fast...in fact we may need a bigger office soon! 🙏

As #Ploughing2024 draws to a close, it's time for my quick summary of this year's event, or should I say "festivities"! First I'd like to express our gratitude to the many, many volunteers of the National Ploughing Association / Championships and charitable organisations such as the Irish Hospice Foundation, Trócaire, The Donkey Sanctuary, as well as the hundreds of people who are working behind the scenes to make this amazing event happen - An Garda Síochána, in particular, keeping us safe and moving on the road and on-site - with a smile 😁 Of course, the Ploughing would not be the same without the #InnovationArena hosted magnificently once again by the Enterprise Ireland team, led by Leo Clancy James Maloney and Michael Brougham - The most visited stand for the past few years - which is not surprising. Thanks guys! At the request of our team (It didn't take much convincing) I started and quickly ended my #TikTok career with a video scripted by our Gen-Z colleagues - All I can say is: sorry, the vibes were not immaculate 🙈 Finally, I am once again so proud of our entire Herdwatch team at the Ploughing and also our tech and product colleagues back home who make our software so amazing. They worked tirelessly before and during the event (and some would say even after hours... 🍻 ) along with our friends at FRS Co-Op, to welcome our existing and new customers - the feedback has been phenomenal - this is what keeps us working hard and innovating for farmers. Thanks to the Team and to the hundreds of customers we met over the 3 days 🙏 I can't remember the last time we had a "dust problem" at the #Ploughing, but it certainly is a first-world problem which we're happy to deal with every year 🤞 Until next year, so long!

Thrilled to have Natalie Kovarik, co-host of the Discover Ag podcast, join us on the Agripodcast presented by Herdwatch! 🎙️ A huge thank you to her for sharing insights on the importance of advocating for agriculture through social media. Grab a drink and get ready to dive deep into this fun conversation—stay tuned for the release date and more exciting guests! #JoinTheHerd #Herdwatch #CattleManagement #AgTech #HerdManagement Instagram: https://lnkd.in/erXU_4Ab Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/egJXPMv3

"Punching above our weight" - Pardon the pun following Kelly Harrington's boxing Gold medal, but that should be #Ireland's official motto, because it's true. What an achievement for a small country of just 5m people to not only win 4 gold medals so far at the Olympics, but also to have the highest productivity, the highest standards of education, of food production, and the nicest people in the world. I am inspired by this country's (and my team's) human resources and resourcefulness, and this ability to do it with a smile. In many ways, the Herdwatch journey would not have been the same anywhere else, or maybe even possible, because our business motto could also be "Punching above our weight" - We have always tried to do the right thing with limited resources, for farmers and ranchers, for our amazing team, for our communities, and we have built a fast-growing international business, a beacon of Irish #Agtech supported by fantastic Irish structures such as FRS Co-Op, Local Enterprise Offices in #Tipperary, AgTech Ireland, Renatus and of course Enterprise Ireland who have stood by us for many years in our international journey. Finally, none of this would have happened without Ireland's membership of the European Union - for all its failings (and it has many), the EU has brought people closer and given me and millions of others opportunities that did not exist just 30 or 40 years ago. (For those who don't know, I came to Ireland on an EU-funded ERASMUS student programme for a year, and never went back...and wasn't thrown out!) If it wasn't clear already, I am extremely grateful to have been "adopted" by the people of Ireland and #Roscrea. I will always be a proud French man, and love both nations (I have dual nationality), but Ireland has given me so much, including my wonderful wife Antoinette and daughter Amélie, and I will continue to do my best to give back. Maith thú agus go raibh maith agat Éire 🙏👏💚🇮🇪 PS: Ireland is officially 12th on the Olympics medals table (which is amazing) but actually 3rd on the "Gold medals per capita" table!! I think that table should be used officially alongside the other one - China are pretty much last on that one and the USA are 29th! "Olympics Glory in Proportion" as the website says 👇

AgTechUCD Innovation Centre is seeking applications from early-stage start-ups with innovative products and services in the AgTech, agri-food, equine and veterinary sectors, and who have ambition to grow and scale on the global stage, to join its dedicated accelerator programme, which is now in its fourth year. Among the 27 start-ups which have completed the AgTechUCD Agccelerator programme over the last three years are; Moonsyst International, Pitseal and MyGug. The 2024 AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme, commencing in October, is an intensive 12-week hybrid programme. The in-person workshops will take place at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare. For further information on the programme and to apply visit https://lnkd.in/eiXwC6q Gary Ryan, Director, AgTechUCD, said, “Building on the success of our three previous programmes, our dedicated Agccelerator programme is tailored to address the specific needs and challenges facing start-ups in the AgTech and Agri-foods sectors. Our aim is to fast track the business development and leadership skills of participants and to provide them with support and guidance which is needed to accelerate their start-ups on the national and indeed the global stage.” Marion Cantillon, founder, Pitseal, said, “As a start-up founder, I think utilising all the resources available is key. The AgTechUCD Agccelerator programme is different because it specialises in the agtech industry and I highly recommend it to start-ups in the sector. Through the programme we've met with so many different experts and mentors in the AgTech space, the links and contacts that they've made for us, and introductions that they've made for us globally, have been game changing and have been a real lifesaver for Pitseal going forward.” PJ Maguire, Sales Lead, Moonsyst, said, "I highly recommend the programme to any agtech related start-up, at the early stage of development or even start-ups further along on their entrepreneurial journeys. Among other benefits the programme will enable you to review what you company is doing and what direction it should be going and how best to present your start-up when pitching to or meeting with investors.” Watch a video with testimonials from both PJ and Marion via: https://lnkd.in/e44SKyj5 David Bowles, Managing Partner, The Yield Lab Europe said, "We are delighted to be once again supporting AgTechUCD as they seek exciting early-stage start-ups, with innovative technologies that will lead the way for Ireland to deliver on its sustainability commitments, to join its next Agccelerator Programme starting in October." Partners on the AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme include; Enterprise Ireland, AIB, The Yield Lab Europe, FBD, Ifac Ireland, SVG Ventures | THRIVE and support from AgTech Ireland member companies.  Desmond Savage Fiona Kelleher Kieran Coffey Leo McGrane UCD Research TechIreland UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science