A game changing new technology set to make an introduction at Beef 2024 next month is Agscent Breath.
Agscent utilises NASA technology and a science known as 'breathomics' to provide ultimate reproductivity and efficiency for producers, effectively lifting the bottom line of production through non-invasive methods.
Dr Bronwyn Darlington, CEO and founder of Agscent, realised the potential of breathomics in the agriculture industry when she was teaching at Sydney University, and immediately started to consider how this science could benefit her own cow-calf breeding operation back home.
Dr Darlington said the first challenge was adapting the science of breathomics from humans to animals.
"What we've developed is a solution to traditionally invasive methods of preg testing," Dr Darlington said.
"When developing it, we found there were patterns between pregnant and empty cows known as 'biomarkers'. The pregnancy biomarkers are found in the final part of a cow's breath when they exhale."
Dr Darlington said the process was as simple as "holding the device over one nostril when the animal is in the crush".
"The whole process takes less than 60 seconds to generate a result of pregnancy and bovine respiratory disease status from when you first hold the device to the animal's nostril," she said.
She said the technology "detects pregnancy as early as the 18 day mark", providing producers with the ability to make decisions sooner.
"To increase revenue in a northern cattle system, we need to be able to remove empties from pastures," she said.
"Agscent Breath allows us to do this sooner without requiring a vet for preg testing.
"Being able to preg test by day 18 takes a huge cost out of production because we can plan and monitor reproduction such as AI more efficiently."
The exciting new technology is set to become commercially available in July this year.
Agscent also have another product already on the market known as Agscent Air - a sensor that measures methane and other greenhouse gases when a cow burps.
Through a collaboration with Optiweigh, Agscent delivered the tool that provides farmer-led, accurate readings of greenhouse gases through molecules of the breath.
Both Agscent Breath and Agscent Air technology will be onsite at Beef Australia 2024 near Optiweigh.
