Protag

Protag Limited is an agritech company based in Te Aroha, New Zealand, focused on the dairy industry.

The company was founded in 2019 by Tyrel Glass and Baden Parr, who were both PhD engineering students at Massey University. Their backgrounds in robotics, electronic design, machine learning, and engineering, combined with their rural New Zealand roots, led them to address challenges within the agricultural sector. The idea originated when local farmers approached the university seeking a low-cost ear tag with virtual fencing and health monitoring capabilities.

Protag develops and manufactures a smart ear tag for livestock that provides real-time monitoring of animal health and location. This Internet-of-Things (IoT) enabled device clips onto a cow's ear and uses temperature, movement, and location sensors to gather data. Through machine learning, the system analyzes this data to map behavioral patterns, enabling farmers to detect the early onset of illnesses like mastitis and lameness, as well as monitor reproductive cycles and grazing habits. The product is designed to be a small, lightweight, and power-efficient alternative to bulkier GPS collars, making it more accessible for farmers. The technology allows for continuous tracking by utilizing relative positioning within the herd, a different approach than traditional GPS.

The company serves dairy farmers, aiming to improve animal welfare and farm sustainability. By providing detailed analytics for each animal, Protag helps farmers make informed decisions to increase pasture performance and herd productivity. The business model centers on selling these hardware devices, with plans to provide data access on any device, which can be integrated with existing farm management systems. While initially targeting the New Zealand market, Protag has identified Ireland and Brazil as potential future markets.

Protag has secured significant funding to advance its product development. In February 2022, the company raised NZ$1 million in a seed round led by Sprout Agritech, with participation from Finistere Ventures, Fonterra, OurCrowd, and support from Callaghan Innovation's Technology Incubator Programme. The company had previously won global engineering competitions, including the Keysight IoT Innovation Challenge and the 2021 Microsoft Imagine Cup.

Keywords: agritech, livestock monitoring, dairy farming, smart ear tag, animal health, IoT, machine learning, remote sensing, pasture management, herd health, cattle tracking, precision agriculture, animal welfare, New Zealand agriculture, real-time data, lameness detection, heat detection, farm management software, livestock technology, Fonterra, Callaghan Innovation, Sprout Agritech