Thursday, 20 April 2023 10:55

$85m raised by Halter 'will boost service delivery'

Written by  Staff Reporters
Halter says the $85m will go directly towards delivering a system that helps farmers run more productive and sustainable operations. Halter says the $85m will go directly towards delivering a system that helps farmers run more productive and sustainable operations.

Cow collar technology maker Halter has raised $85 million from an impressive list of investors from around the globe.

The Series C funding, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, who join existing investors DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab's Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.

Halter says Bessemer, a Tier 1 US-based venture capital firm with a global investment team, is renowned for backing transformational companies, including LinkedIn, RocketLab and Pinterest.

It claims, despite a slowdown in capital markets, investors were attracted to Halter's groundbreaking technology that enables more efficient farming.

Halter enables farmers to remotely shift, virtually fence, and proactively monitor their cows' health and behaviour. The company says its world-first system is supporting farmers to combat labour challenges, lift milk production while lowering inputs, and enable 24/7 monitoring of the health of their cows.

Halter chief executive Craig Piggott says the Series C capital raise will accelerate the value Halter delivers to customers.

"Our number one priority is investing in our farmers.

"This money will go directly towards delivering a system that helps farmers run more productive and sustainable operations. Historically, running a sustainable farming operation has been at the expense of production."

Piggott says Halter farmers can achieve both.

Southland farmer Peter Templeton says Halter saves him over 2.5 hours a day just getting cows to the shed.

"We're also up 10k in milk solids and have significantly reduced the amount of nitrogen we use.

"Plus, the farming team is happier, there's less fatigue, we are sharper at decision-making, and we have more accurate grazing outcomes. Halter has fundamentally changed the way we farm."

Tess Hatch, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, says Halter revolutionises livestock farms, enabling farmers to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional farming.

Halter 5 FBTW

Halter enables farmers to remotely shift, virtually fence, and proactively monitor their cows' health and behaviour.

"The company's suite of SaaS products manages everything from pasture grazing and livestock movements to animal health, ultimately reducing labour costs and increasing revenue, while at the same time decreasing farm emissions," says Hatch.

Halter, founded in 2016 by Piggott, is made up of a diverse team, all driven to unlock a more productive and sustainable future of farming.

Over the last seven years, the team has grown to over 180 talented and passionate engineers, data scientists, farmers, designers and business people.

Halter says it is deploying onto new farms daily across New Zealand. Collars are leased under a per-cow subscription model based on farmers' required features. Halter retains ownership of the collars and therefore takes responsibility for their maintenance.

More like this

Helping heifers grow

Dairy farmers can easily track the performance of their replacement heifers and ensure they reach their genetic potential.

Two hemispheres tied together through cows

One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.

Farmers fined for cattle abuse

A Waikato cattle farming family have been fined $23,000 for failing to provide sufficient food and care for their animals, resulting in more than half a dozen animal deaths.

App trial yields promising results

An initial trial of an app, funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, has demonstrated significant results in reducing drench inputs during a small-scale study.

Featured

Sam Neill joins Campaign for Wool

New Zealand actor Sam Neill has joined the Campaign for Wool NZ as an ambassador, lending his name and profile to educate and advocate for New Zealand strong wool.

'Living labs' to tackle emissions

Living labs that bring together expertise at locations around New Zealand are among potential solutions identified by researchers to help the country move towards a more climate resilient future.

Food recall system at work

The New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) has started issuing annual reports, a new initiative to share information on consumer-level recalls with the public.

High calibre finalists for Fonterra DWOTY award

The chair of the Dairy Environment Leaders, the president of the North Otago Federated Farmers, and a herd health veterinarian are among those nominated for the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award this year.

Rewarding farmers who embrace sustainability

Winners of DairyNZ’s Sustainability and Stewardship awards in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards have their eyes firmly fixed on progressing a positive future for New Zealand dairy.

National

Council lifeline for A&P Show

Christchurch City Council and the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (CAPA) have signed an agreement which will open more of…

Struggling? Give us a call

ASB head of rural banking Aidan Gent is encouraging farmers to speak to their banks when they are struggling.

Cash flow is king

Cash flow budgeting is going to be critical for dairy farmers in the coming season.

Machinery & Products

New name, new ideas

KGM New Zealand, is part of the London headquartered Inchcape Group, who increased its NZ presence in August 2023 with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Critical industry?

OPINION: There's an outpouring of concern over the parlous state of one of our major industries.

Wrongheaded

OPINION: Food security is a sore point in the UK, as a direct result of its National Food Strategy, and…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter