SkyKelpie is built on real stockmanship, not just technology. Every system created has been grounded in decades of practical experience under real conditions, with real consequences.
Luke Chaplain, founder of SkyKelpie, grew up in the livestock industry and could see both the strengths and the limitations of traditional mustering methods, especially across large, remote properties.
When drone technology started becoming more capable, he saw an opportunity to apply it in a way that genuinely suited livestock operations, not as a gimmick, but as a practical tool.
Chaplain explained that one of the biggest pain points is simply visibility. On a large grazing operation, finding livestock can take a lot of time, fuel and labour, especially when the country is timbered, rough or spread over large distances.
Another is labour efficiency, as producers constantly try to do more with fewer people. There is also the safety aspect, whether that is reducing the need for people to cover difficult country physically or lowering reliance on more expensive and higher-risk methods in some situations.
Chaplain was inspired most by the chance to combine good stockmanship with new technology to improve efficiency, safety, animal welfare, and visibility across the property.
He said technology has evolved from being simply a piloted eye in the sky into a much more intelligent on-farm tool, and has observed movement towards systems that can complete repeatable tasks more efficiently, such as scanning paddocks, identifying livestock, checking infrastructure and helping operators target the right areas before they even leave the house or ute.
For day-to-day farm operations, that means less time spent searching, better use of labour, quicker decisions, and more consistent monitoring across large areas. Additionally, this real-time visibility can lead to better timing and better decisions.
Read more in the latest issue here
