Herdwatch sets sights on further growth with new global HQ
Making farmers' lives "easier" remains a key driver for the agritech company, Herdwatch, it said today (Friday, May 9) as its new state-of-the-art global headquarters in Roscrea, Co Tipperary was declared open.
The chief executive and co-founder of Herdwatch, Fabien Peyaud, told Agriland today that "farmers are absolutely at the core of everything we do and that's never going to change, our principles, our ethos, our core is helping farmers."
Peyaud also said that a key driver for the company is "how can we actually help make their life easier?"
He said initially the company started out "helping small and medium farmers."
"That's our core.
"That's what we do all day, every day and now we're stepping a little bit outside of that and seeing how we can have those slightly bigger operations," the CEO added.
Herdwatch, now used on over 20,000 farms, is working with large ranches in the US and across the world and is continuing to grow and expand globally, with teams across Ireland, the UK, Canada, and Ukraine.
Its modern new HQ is in the heart of Roscrea, Co Tipperary, where the company was founded in 2012 by Fabien Peyaud and the FRS Co-op.
The 4,000 sq. ft space is located within the new multi-million Roscrea Enterprise and Community Hub (REACH), and is focused on innovation featuring open, collaborative spaces designed to support software development and customer success.
The new HQ also signals the company’s commitment to the area and the local community and will support the company’s continued growth and expansion plans.
Herdwatch now employs almost 100 people with almost half of these roles based in Roscrea, and recently expanded with a second office close to Harper Adams University in Shropshire, UK.
Peyaud said the company continues to be in investment mode:
"We are investing massively into artificial intelligence and the next few months, we'll have the first version of that."
"This has the power to change how farmers interact with our platform and how much they get out of it, because we're able to use 10 years of experience of data that we've gathered for the farmers and then applying the new technology and concepts like AI to."
He said one of the biggest inspirations for Herdwatch is to continue listening to farmers.
Speaking about current challenges Peyaud said: "It's about making sure you pick the right one or two innovations, if you pick the wrong one, you kind of, you find out quickly.
"So that's always a challenge as there is so much energy and so much innovation going on."
The company also highlighted how it has been digitalising farms and ranches, which "enables smarter, more efficient operations by simplifying record-keeping, compliance, and productivity, empowering farmers to track livestock, manage breeding, and optimise herd health".
Its new HQ office was officially opened today by Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, who praised Herdwatch’s growth and its commitment to digital innovation within the agricultural sector.
Minister Burke said: “Herdwatch is a global industry leader, having an impact on farms around the world.
"The Herdwatch innovation is critical to the future of the agriculture sector, as it can help reduce costs on farm enterprises, create efficiencies, support decision making, all the while improving outcomes in a sustainable manner."
"Herdwatch is also a key local employer that is committed to Roscrea community, and I would like to congratulate Fabien and all the Herdwatch team on their growth and success and wish them luck in this exciting new phase of their journey”.
According to Fabien Peyaud the new HQ "marks an exciting new chapter for Herdwatch" and he stressed that they are "incredibly proud of our roots here in Roscrea".
"What began as a local innovation has grown into a global platform, and we are thrilled to continue our journey from our new home in the heart of the community that first believed in us," the CEO added.
