Sam Rogers, a 19-year-old Australian entrepreneur, has raised A$1.2 million (about R13.8 million) to build what could become the future of livestock farming: artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drones that can move, monitor, and manage cattle without the need for traditional herding teams.

The technology, developed by an Australian start-up Brumby, turns a drone into an autonomous cattle herder – it basically creates an “AI cowboy”. Instead of farmers relying on horses, motorbikes, or helicopters to move livestock across large properties, the process can be managed through a smartphone.

The system works by first creating a digital map of the farm, including paddocks, gates, water points, and fences. Farmers then select the paddock where they want the cattle moved. The drone flies out, identifies the herd, positions itself around the animals, and guides them towards the selected area.

The artificial intelligence monitors the cattle's movement, speed, and posture. It adjusts its approach depending on how the herd responds, moving closer when animals need encouragement and backing away when they show signs of stress.

The drone can also produce a detailed report on the farm after completing its task. It can count animals, estimate weight, identify cattle that may be sick, measure grazing availability, detect open gates, monitor water troughs, and identify damaged fences.

For large-scale cattle operations, the potential savings are significant. Brumby says a single drone can track and manage herds of up to 2 000 animals and reduce mustering costs by roughly half.

While the technology is being developed for Australia's vast cattle stations, it could have significant applications in South Africa's livestock sector.

South Africa has both large commercial cattle farms and thousands of smaller livestock operations spread across rural areas. Many farmers still rely heavily on manual labour, vehicles, and traditional herding methods to manage cattle across large grazing areas.

AI drones could help farmers improve productivity in several ways.

The first opportunity is rotational grazing. Many farmers divide their land into camps and move cattle depending on grass availability. An AI system combining drone imagery, satellite data, and weather information could help farmers decide when and where livestock should move, improving pasture management and reducing land degradation.

The second opportunity is livestock monitoring. On large farms, checking every animal regularly can be difficult. A drone capable of counting cattle, tracking movement, and identifying unusual behaviour could help farmers detect illness or injury earlier and reduce losses.

The third opportunity is reducing the cost of livestock management. For smaller farmers, buying helicopters, vehicles, or additional labour for monitoring and mustering is often unrealistic. A shared drone service could allow multiple farmers in an area to access the technology without needing to purchase their own equipment.

Agricultural cooperatives, farming associations, or private service providers could operate fleets of drones that provide farmers with regular herd counts, grazing reports, fence inspections, and animal health assessments.

The technology could also be integrated with existing South African farming tools. Drones are already used for crop monitoring, mapping, and security, while many farmers use digital systems to track weather, markets, and production data. AI livestock management would extend this digital transformation into cattle farming.

The future of livestock farming is likely to involve a combination of traditional knowledge and advanced technology. AI drones will not replace farmers, but they could give them better information, reduce costs, and make it easier to manage larger areas with fewer resources.

The Australian “AI cowboy” remains an emerging technology, but it points towards a wider shift in agriculture: farms becoming increasingly data-driven, with artificial intelligence handling routine monitoring while farmers focus on decisions and management.