Chasing the 1%: How two Australian cattle farmers are rethinking weighing and gaining more control

Progressive cattle producers across Australia are looking for smarter ways to manage performance, reduce labour, and make faster, more confident decisions.

The StrongBó Auto Weigher is helping farmers like Brendon Gibbins and Claridge AG do exactly that. This revolutionary technology is making it easy to monitor animal performance right in the paddock, without the stress and effort of routine yard weighing.

Many forward-thinking farmers are focused on chasing the 1% gains - the small, continuous improvements that add up over time. Whether it’s spotting underperformance earlier, reducing weight loss during mustering, or refining feed efficiency, having better information leads to better decisions.

Data-driven decisions and less time in the yards

In Dorrigo, New South Wales, Brendon Gibbins runs a seasonal trading operation with up to 800 head through summer, growing cattle from 250kg to 450kg before they head to the feedlot. Previously, that meant hauling mobs into the yards every two weeks. It was a labour-intensive job that cost time, disrupted grazing rotations, and impacted animal performance.

“I was losing about 20kg every time they stood in the yards,” says Brendon.

That changed in early 2025 when Brendon introduced the StrongBó Auto Weigher - a solar-powered, portable unit that captures animal weights and IDs right in the paddock. Stress-free for both farmer and livestock, the system is so simple to use, the animals practically weigh themselves.

Cattle are drawn to the unit with an attractant such as molasses or a mineral block, and as they voluntarily step onto the platform, a built-in EID reader reads their tag and estimates their weight using a partial-body algorithm. The data is instantly uploaded to the cloud and accessed via a web or mobile phone app.

The Auto Weigher sends live weight trends straight to Brendon’s phone, making it easy to monitor both individual animals and mob performance while the cattle keep grazing. It’s quick to move and simple to set up, giving him the insights he needs without the hassle of yards.

Brendon sets up the Auto Weigher in the final paddocks of his rotation and now monitors live weight trends without the need to muster. His cattle adapted to the system surprisingly quickly, requiring no major changes to how he managed his mobs.

He moves stock every four days across a mix of rye, oats, plantain, and chicory. The Auto Weigher has become a key tool for comparing crop performance and refining his feed strategy.

“Being able to track how each crop performs has helped me fine-tune my rotation. The time saving is definitely important, but it’s also helped me better manage my feed,” he says.

Brendon’s weighing sessions have dropped from fortnightly to once every month or two, depending on how the cattle are tracking. He says the time and labour savings are clear, but the real value is in the confidence the data gives him to make the right call at the right time.

Turning real-time data into practical gains

Further north in Wallangra, New South Wales, Claridge AG Partnership is also leveraging the Auto  Weigher to improve visibility across their cattle programme. The family-run mixed farming and grazing  business focuses on commercial Wagyu and Angus, with a strong emphasis on breeding.

In 2022, the business began using Gallagher’s TWR Weigh Scale and EID reader. But it was the  addition of the Auto Weigher in 2024 that gave them next-level insights into cattle performance.

“The Auto Weigher gave us the ability to regularly monitor cattle and analyse all aspects of our  production system,” says  Henry Claridge, Livestock Foreman.

“With consistent, regular feedback from the Auto Weigher, we were able to learn a lot more about our  on-farm management practices, like picking up mobs that weren’t performing as well as expected.

“The data helped us identify issues such as sickness, grazing problems, or livestock stress that were  affecting performance.

“After seeing the positive impact the Auto Weigher had, we decided to purchase a second unit.”

Both Brendon and Claridge AG show how in-paddock weighing can provide greater visibility of animal performance, whether you’re managing seasonal trades or running large-scale breeding operations.