Mustering a herd of animals requires a unique level of expertise. Many ranchers consider mustering and herding to be an art form that takes years to perfect. It involves ensuring that the herd is safe and healthy and has all the natural resources needed for survival. One of the biggest challenges ranch owners face today is finding people willing and able to become herders. Fortunately, burgeoning technologies like drones have found a way to ease the burden of an industry worth upwards of $3.3 trillion globally.

Luke Chaplin is a fourth-generation farmer at Malakoff Station in Mitakoodi County, North Queensland, Australia. The ranch maintains thousands of hectares of land and has been in operation for more than 100 years. From the ranch’s start, mustering was done by skilled stockmen on horseback with trained dogs. The practice progressed to swapping horses for motorbikes and utility vehicles. Eventually, Australian farmers became pioneers in using helicopters along with a team of ringers on the ground to herd cattle. However, this method is resource-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. So, Luke came up with the idea of utilizing drones to muster cattle.

“It came from some of the issues we were having on farm,” Luke said. “How to get labor, quite expensive, the cost of helicopter mustering. And I just saw the range of different benefits, you know, that it [drones] could provide.” One day in 2018, Luke decided to test his theory with a cheap off-the-shelf drone he had purchased while in Hong Kong. The test was a success, and Luke knew he had a platform to expand upon.

To develop this platform, Luke began studying agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College in Victoria, Australia. In 2022, Luke was awarded the Nuffield Scholarship, a grant that aims “to inspire passion in people and develop their potential to lead positive change in farming and food,” as stated on the organization’s website. With the funds from the scholarship, Luke was able to found SkyKelpie with the support of Meat & Livestock Australia and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

SkyKelpie, as explained by Luke, is a company that is “experts in drone mustering and aerial stockmanship. We’re helping livestock producers modernize the way they muster their livestock through our training, technology, and our expert advice.” Luke goes on to explain that using a drone to herd cattle is really no different from using a helicopter, except that it can be done by one person at a far lower cost. A drone is flown above and behind a herd, corralling them into a cluster and moving them in the correct direction. Then, when the animals are in the desired spot, the drone is flown in front of them to slow them down.

Just like when using horses, motorbikes, or helicopters, there is a learning curve to using drones for herding cattle. Animals are curious creatures, Luke explains, so it takes a little time for them to get used to the drone. SkyKelpie offers users a complete range of courses to learn everything needed for drone mustering. This includes how to physically use the drone, how to train the animals, as well as the regulations and licensing needed for drone compliance. With SkyKelpie, Luke has been training livestock experts both in Australia and around the world about the benefits of incorporating drone technology into their arsenal.

Luke and his clients have found that using drones offers more than just a means of herding cattle. “The benefits you can get from getting an aerial view of the paddock are amazing,” he says. “For one, just having all your stock accounted for can have a range of different benefits from fertility to pasture management, to supplement management, a range of different things.” Drones can be used to monitor predators, water supply, fence security, and even the health of individual animals. A surprising benefit is that Luke found that drones were able to herd animals at night as well.

Luke’s pioneering work with drones represents a significant advancement in the age-old practice of herding cattle. Luke has said that his mission is “to give livestock handlers the necessary tools they need to unlock the powerful benefits drones have to offer.” By integrating aerial technology into traditional ranching techniques, SkyKelpie not only addresses the logistical and financial challenges of modern-day ranching but also enhances the overall management of livestock.

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