UK start-up iLivestock exploring farming practices in Argentina

Our colleague Anne Wellenberg just returned from a UK trade mission to Argentina, where she was evaluating the potential of use of the iLivestock platform in the local market. This includes our weigh head eWeigh and farm software. The trip was enriching and gave us great insights into the potential opportunities for our company in this vast Latin American country that inhabits over 50 million cattle.

Anne, our Head of Product, was part of a delegation of three UK-based agritech start-ups - including Pastoral and N2 Applied - who were invited by Agri-EPI Centre to participate in a knowledge exchange visit. The trip was organised in collaboration with Movimiento CREA and AgriTIERRA, two leading organisations in the Argentine agricultural sector, joined by the UK Department for Business and Trade, and funded by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Argentine smart farm innovation

The aim of the visit was to create a global collaborative agrotechnological ecosystem between the United Kingdom and Argentina. To support the development of smart farm innovation, and bridge the gap between people creating innovative agricultural technologies and those who benefit from them. By facilitating market access and knowledge transfer between the UK and Latin American agritech sectors, it is expected to accelerate the entry and growth of products and services that can improve productivity, sustainability, and animal welfare in both regions.

During the two-week trip, Anne had the opportunity to meet with a variety of stakeholders, including farmers, cooperatives, distributors, researchers, government officials and industry experts. She visited different regions and production systems, from the prestigious CENAB (Animal Nutrition Research Center) in the Cordoba province, to meeting with YieldLab LATAM (Venture Capital) in Buenos Aires, to visiting the Rosario Board of Trade in Rosario.

Anne Wellenberg about the trip:

“It was an incredible experience to see the diversity and potential of Argentine agriculture, and to learn about the challenges and opportunities that farmers are facing. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and openness of the people I met, and organisation of the trip. I am very grateful to Movimiento CREA, AgriTIERRA and Agri-EPI Centre for making this possible. I am confident that iLivestock has a lot to offer to the Argentine market, and I look forward to continuing the conversations and collaborations that we started during this trip.”

International livestock management ambassador

Meeting Lara Giuliani, a.k.a. Agroinfluencer @agrolarus, was one of the many highlights of our trip. Not only is she a role model for good livestock management practices, she also shares the same principles as iLivestock. She uses weight, individual traceability and animal welfare as key indicators to improve her breeding performance. She achieved outstanding breeding results, way above the Argentine average, in a relatively short period. She is a true ambassador and generously shares her vision and knowledge with local farmers, fostering a culture of knowledge exchange. We were inspired by her passion and professionalism.

>> Photo: Lara Giuliana (l) and Anne Wellenberg in Argentina (r)

Agritech opportunities for iLivestock

In a brief video, Anne talks about her experience of visiting Argentina and exploring the agritech opportunities for iLivestock. The interview was conducted by Mark Jarman, CEO and Founder of AgriTIERRA, one of the organisations that facilitated the trade mission.

We are very proud of Anne and her achievements, and we are excited about the prospects of expanding our presence and impact in Argentina. We believe that iLivestock can make a positive difference for farmers who are at the start of the journey to capture important data about their herd and/or flock. Not only in the UK, but also in other countries and regions around the world.

Partners

For more information about agritech opportunities in Argentina, please contact our team: