SmartShepherd, the brainchild of Dave Rubie and Glenn Vassallo, was this week named the Most Innovative International Startup at the 2018 Agfunder Innovation Awards at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco.

SmartShepherd allows livestock producers to collect vital pedigree information and thereby improve the maternal characteristics of their animals.

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The fledgling product created by the Armidale company has already struck a chord with its target market. Rather than popping champagne corks in California over the AgFunder win, Mr Rubie was in Western Australia selling his product.

“We have made sales in the Falkland Islands and signed agreements in New Zealand and South Africa,” Mr Rubie said.

“Next we’d like to push in to Europe and North America, because we know this product has the ability to make serious improvements to animal welfare and productivity.

“It was only in October 2015 that we sat down seriously to develop the concept, and to be already selling the product and getting global recognition is very gratifying.”

SmartShepherd provides a missing link in livestock parentage data - helping farmers to identify the relationship between mothers and their offspring.

Not only will the collection of maternal pedigree data help guide future management decisions, Mr Rubie and Mr Vassallo hope it will increase animal welfare and profitability.

The UNE SMART Region Incubator provides administrative and business support to start-ups with innovative business ideas.

The Agri-Tech Innovation Summit attracts hundreds of agribusiness, solution providers, entrepreneurs and investors from all over the world, with the aim of accelerating the commercialisation of advanced agricultural technologies.