SkyKelpie: Young stockman proving drones beat choppers for mustering cattle

Luke Chaplain is using drones to make cattle work safer on Malakoff Station, and has launched a start-up to commercialise the tech.

Australian start-up SkyKelpie is commercialising drones for mustering cattle, aiming to replace the use of helicopters and make the practice safer for operators and less stressful for livestock. Picture: Supplied

A young Queensland stockman is proving drones are a “fantastic tool” for aerial mustering, and is on track to commercialise the technology for farmers.

SkyKelpie founder and Nuffield Scholar Luke Chaplain has done research and run trials on Malakoff Station, near Cloncurry, with Meat and Livestock Australia and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

SkyKelpie founder Luke Chaplain is on a mission to commercialise drones for mustering cattle, and will speak about his progress so far at EvokeAg, running in Adelaide on February 21 and 22. Picture: Supplied

“Through trials, I have been quite successful in getting animals in a good frame of mind with low stress levels while they are mustered,” said the 33-year-old.

Luke came up with his drone-mustering idea in 2017, while studying at Marcus Oldham College.

His aim was three-fold: to find an alternative to helicopters that was safer for operators, more affordable for producers and less stressful for livestock.

“The cost of helicopters, either buying one or hiring one, is getting more and more expensive. And it can be unsafe for pilots. I think people are being more conscious of that,” Luke said.

“The use of drones could also reduce the use of four wheelers and side-by-sides, which claim lives every year.”

One of the big hurdles to commercialisation is the cost and regulatory burden of obtaining an operator’s licence.

“At the moment, it is extremely expensive and time consuming to get the necessary land permits and accreditation to fly drones beyond the visual line of sight,” Luke said.

He is one of few people in Australia to have done so. Obtaining the licence cost him $40,000 and took 10 months.

“I respect CASA, the regulating body, and their objective to keep aviation safe, but what we’ll be proposing to them this year is a framework that will be more practical and unlock the full potential of this solution,” he said.

Luke will share more about SkyKelpie and the benefits of mustering with drones at ag-innovation conference EvokeAg, in Adelaide, February 21-22.