In today’s beef buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Ian Wheal, founder and CEO of Breedr, who shared how his background in Australia shaped his vision for the company. “I grew up in Australia, grew up in a cow-calf operation there,” Wheal said, adding that his father “spent a lot of time building co-ops and building supply chains.” That experience inspired him to create a platform focused on helping ranchers work together more efficiently. “Breeder is really focused on how do we bring this to individual producers… how do we enable these supply chains to vertically collaborate, but still put a lot of power in the hands of ranchers so that no one gets left behind.”
Wheal explained that Breedr’s platform centers on three main goals, starting with simplifying ranch data collection. “One is just really super easy data collection on the ranch,” he said. “We’re competing with pen and paper most of the time.” The app connects with EID readers and scales to log births, inventories, and weights — all from a phone. Wheal called it “a succession planning tool” since younger generations are comfortable using apps to manage operations. He emphasized that the data’s value extends beyond recordkeeping: “That data is also very valuable when you’re marketing your cattle and how that goes through into a supply chain.”
Breedr aims to close the loop between ranchers, feedyards, and packers. “We call it full circle beef,” Wheal said. “Instead of it being a chain that’s singular direction, how do we loop this back and how do we optimize our industry to deliver what the consumer wants?” Through Breedr’s system, data from packing plants can flow back to cow-calf producers, helping them make more informed culling and breeding decisions. “You’re not just thinking about phenotypically what it looks like,” he explained. “You’re starting to say, did its progeny kill well? Did it feed well?”
When it comes to getting started, Wheal said adoption is simple for ranchers already using EID technology. “Download the app, get started, and we’ve got a whole team of people here in America and Texas to help you on that journey,” he said. His team can even import historic data and assist with setup. For those earlier in their technology journey, he suggested resources like Breedr’s new podcast, The Future of Beef, which features innovative producers “thinking about supply chains, individual animal management, genomics, genetics, [and] feeding.”
Breedr’s platform, Wheal noted, works for operations of all sizes — from small ranches to large-scale feeders. “We’ve got 20-head ranches through 250,000-head ranches,” he said. The key is a willingness to adapt and improve. “What we’re looking for is ranchers who want to improve,” Wheal emphasized. “This is all about continuing improvement. No one’s perfect. And what we’re trying to do is continually improve each ranch we work with, continually improve the beef we produce, and at the end of the day, hopefully drive a really good beef market into the future.”
