Farmer Embraces Technology To Improve Wool Quality

A farmer contacted Intermax with the problem of variations of wool quality being produced. They already had Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) tags attached to their sheep to track and log their grazing locations but we needed to find a way to use this data to improve the product that they were selling – the wool that these sheep grew.

The problem was once the wool was removed by the shearers and then passed onto the wool testers, the link to the sheep was lost. Creating a way to link the removed wool back to the animal ID was the answer. Using the Bluetooth connection available on the RFID Wand allowed us to transmit the animals ID as it entered the shearing shed back to a Mobile Printer that produced an ID Barcode. This Barcode was attached to the wool fibers so that it was available after shearing, making analysis possible after the wool was tested. Using the ID Barcode which linked to the individual sheep, they were able to track where the sheep went and what food was available in those locations.

Having the ability to improve wool quality by better understanding the differences between food and pasture conditions has given sheep farmers the edge on getting the best possible returns on their investments. A roll on effect of this solution is that the Australian Wool Testing Authority also use these barcodes within their operation. They have also implemented barcode scanning across many areas of their testing facility, including; Corded, cordless and Automation scanners.