MBFI is excited to be collaborating with Katlin Lang Co-Founder of FarmSimple Solutions to demonstrate their Internet of Things (IoT) technologies on our Johnson and Brookdale Farms. The opportunity was made possible through connection with the Conexus Cultivator Innovation Hub.  

Katlin Lang is the Co-Founder of FarmSimple Solutions from Vibank, SK.  He was born and raised on a cattle farm near Francis, SK with his 3 brothers.  Katlin was involved in raising purebred Charolais and Red Angus since he could walk. 

Katlin is now a Professional Engineer.  He studied Electronic Systems Engineering at the University of Regina, then worked in Construction Management and Electrical Consulting fields until he decided to get back to his farming roots and try his hand at a tech startup for the livestock industry.  Katlin feels that technology development has ignored the livestock sector and as such the industry is lacking the technology diversity that could be used to improve the lives and economic efficiency for producers who operate on razor thin margins.

In this episode, Katlin walks us through the beginning of FarmSimple Solutions, a company that has created and manufactured technology that alerts farmers to low water or low water temperatures which could result in freezing, depending on the product model.  These products started out as a prototype for a friend of Katlin’s and has since evolved into a business that is helping producers to reduce time and money spent to check water bowls at all times of the year.

Currently, FarmSimple has two products on the market, the “Herd Hand” which monitors water levels, and the “Herd Hand DT” which monitors water temperatures and alerts when temperatures drop and before freezing occurs.  More information on both of these products can be found at their website, by following the link below.

Katlin also shares information on what technologies are on the horizon for FarmSimple solutions to better meet the needs of producers, especially those with pastures in remote locations, which may not have cell service. 

At MBFI in the winter of 2023, we will demonstrate the Herd Hand Dual Temperature to monitor for frozen waterers. In the summer we’ll be trialing the Herd Hand low water sensor in our Brookdale Farm summer water system. Stay tuned for upcoming field days to see the systems first hand!  

If you have questions for Katlin, you can contact him by phone at 1-306-994-5641 or via email at: [email protected] 

For more information about FarmSimple, or their products, please visit: https://farmsimple.ca

To try out the cost calculator to see what your trips to check water cost you, please visit: https://farmsimple.ca/calculator/

FarmSimple is also on Facebook by searching: FarmSimple Solutions Ltd. and on Twitter: @FarmSimple_

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA). 

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