Listen to Andrew Coppin and Karleigh’s Conversation
In a recent interview, Andrew Coppin, Co-Founder and CEO of Ranchbot Monitoring Solutions, sat down with Oklahoma Farm Report intern Karleigh Erramouspe to discuss the evolution of technology on America’s ranches. Coppin highlighted how innovation is reshaping the way ranchers manage their operations, particularly in terms of resource management.
“There’s a lot of technology evolving in the ranch tech and ag tech space these days,” Coppin shared. “Everything from weighing and identifying your cattle to thinking about your soil and pasture to running your infrastructure on the ranch. We’re trying to automate those things so you can effectively have a remote control for the ranch in your pocket on your cell phone.”
Coppin emphasized the critical role of technology in addressing growing demands and climate volatility. He explained, “We’re living in a world where we have to produce more food for our growing population, and with ‘weather whiplash’, floods and droughts, we’re going to need to use better technology to drive outcomes. If we just keep doing what we’re doing, that’s not going to be good enough.”
A key focus for Ranchbot has been developing remote water monitoring solutions that enable ranchers to manage their operations more efficiently and sustainably. Coppin described the benefits explaining, “We build a device that monitors your water ecosystems, and then talks directly to a satellite. So we’re monitoring the water levels and water flow rates, and the rancher can put in customized alerts. The device then sends an alert to the satellite and pings you on your cell phone with a text message or an email saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got a problem.’ For ranchers, that’s an incredible amount of time saving and peace of mind.”
Thanks to feedback from producers, Ranchbot’s user-friendly and affordable product offerings have expanded beyond water monitoring to include rain gauges, weather stations, water pressure and flow monitoring, and more. All of which are designed to help automate the monitoring and control of ranch infrastructure and natural resources. “While we started with water monitoring, that evolved very quickly into an ecosystem of different things that talk to our device,” Coppin explained. “We really become a remote monitoring and control company for any of those things on the ranch you want to be able to turn off, turn on, or control.”
Looking ahead, Coppin described his vision of the “ranch of the future” as one seamlessly integrating multiple technologies. “You have optimum grazing periods calculated from soil moisture, temperature, satellite imagery, water quality, animal health, all in one place, so you can make better decisions in real time. I don’t think it’s ever going to leapfrog rancher intuition, but it’s going to allow ranchers to make a lot better decisions,” said Coppin.
Coppin also addressed the importance of the “natural capital,” a concept gaining traction across the industry. “Ranchers are the largest custodians of natural capital on the planet outside of governments. We think we’re working towards a world where they can be rewarded for being good custodians of the soil, pasture, biodiversity, and water. This would be awesome to think that ranchers are sitting on an intangible asset that could be valued for them.”
For those interested in learning more or adopting Ranchbot’s solutions, head to www.ranch-bot.com.
