2 22
Farming Dairy Focus
FARM SECURITY SYSTEMS
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Advertising feature
Cameras protecting their investmen
Carew dairy farmers Kelly and Jeff Gould have installed a three-camera security system plus beam alert to deter intruders on their farm. The Goulds, equity managers for Wyvern and Beth Jones, milk 1130 cows on 300ha near the Rangitata River. Jeff can use his cellphone from inside his nearby home, or while on holiday in Australia, to see what is happening in the milking shed, in the barn, the office and surrounding paddocks. With an optical zoom, he can also see what’s happening at the neighbour’s milking shed 1.5km away. But the system is not for snooping. It’s about protecting their investments, which include the stock, buildings, centre pivot irrigators and milk collected in silos. Gould said environmental vandalism was a real concern, as well as theft. The farm runs a barn system, allowing the cows to shelter on hot summer days and be warm on cold winter nights. Effluent collected in
“
With an optical zoom, he can also see what’s happening at the neighbour’s milking shed 1.5km away
the barn is treated and used as fertiliser around the property. “We were concerned about having a barn and people who don’t understand how they work and anti the system coming and looking and disturbing the cows,” he said. Environmental vandals against irrigation are thought to have caused $40,000 damage to an Omarama farmer’s centre pivots last month. The Goulds first installed sensor beams around the property but spent nearly $10,000 upgrading to the cameras after a period of suspicious activations. They say the system, provided by Masterguard Security Cameras, is worth every cent – it has eased their security concerns and may become a learning tool on the farm for new employees.
Gould said the beams are monitored and if broken, the monitoring station rings immediately to alert them. The activations at odd hours led them to believe someone was moving around in the barn. Since the cameras have been installed, the intrusions have stopped. He said the cows would react badly if a stranger walked into their midst and started shining lights around the barn. An animal could break a leg in the chaos that would follow. The cameras monitor the daily cycles at the farm, including milking, collection by tanker, and irrigators. Footage is able to be magnified to see tyre tracks, faces and even a cow needing help in the calving paddock. The video images are date
and time stamped. Masterguard Security Cameras’ Hartley Curd designed the system for them and helped them learn to operate it. The system includes software for cellphones, tablets or computers to allow remote access and it operates on electricity, though the Goulds have a back-up generator that kicks into action should the power go out. The couple, who have been farming together for 15 years, said theft had also become an issue, with stock being stolen from roadside paddocks or expensive consumables like antibiotics taken from sheds. Their new security system allows them to see out to the farm boundaries, and beyond, to keep track of people and vehicles in the area. And if an incident does occur, they can go to their image library and see what happened. Kelly and Jeff Gould (inset) installed security cameras to protect their stock and property. PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 210217-LC-0003
Camera Systems for Business, Residential & Farming
• Licence Plate Recognition Cameras • Infra-red Cameras • Smart Phone & Tablet Apps • Solar Solutions • Steerable Cameras Supplying and installing security camera solutions for over 20 years. References available.
Telephone 0800 788 393
Showroom by appointment.
57 Dobson Street, Ashburton | www.masterguard.co.nz