What happens when you take coders out of the office and onto the farm? You get Scanabull WeighApp – 3D vision technology that makes measuring cattle easier and safer.
The app has earned the Raglan agritech business the 2026 Fieldays Innovation Award, validating several years of hard work by the founding team.
For AI expert Dan Bull, the win brings significant credibility to a product the team is immensely proud of.
“After receiving the award, we’ve had a bunch of potential customers, and some of the big ag companies in New Zealand, reach out to say congratulations. It just solidifies in their minds that we’re worth talking to,” Dan says.
Chief Technology Officer Daniel Stuart-Jones, who joined Scanabull at the beginning of last year, says the award will help elevate the business.
“It’s a giant spotlight saying, ‘Talk to these people,’” Daniel says.
What they’ll be talking about is how the Scanabull WeighApp saves time and reduces the risks involved in weighing cattle.
Having grown up on a sheep and beef farm near Te Akau, Dan understands firsthand the dangers of handling large animals.
“When you’re dealing with big animals, the number of times you get injured is crazy,” Dan says. “The less you have to yard the animals, the better. The animals are happier too – they just want to be in the paddock eating grass.”
Not prepared to rest on their Fieldays laurels, the team know they must stay one step ahead of the competition.
“We feel like we’re ahead in this area, but to stay ahead we have to keep improving,” Dan says.
That drive for continuous improvement is already opening doors overseas. The team has a distributor in the UK on board, while the app is currently being tested in Brazil and Japan.
Their commitment to innovation is helping propel Scanabull beyond New Zealand. The team already has a distributor in the UK on board, and the app is being tested in Brazil and Japan.
Despite the rapid growth, they remain focused on doing the basics well.
“We could get people saying, ‘Can you do body condition? Can you do sheep or people?’ And yes, we could – but then nothing would happen,” Daniel says.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have an eye on the future.
“At a certain point in time, which is probably the next five years, it’ll be cruising around on a drone,” Dan says.
Growth has meant taking on new staff. Raglan local Paul Sealock and Ursula Haywood in Cambridge joined last year and are part of the founding team, with Hannah Gordon and Kay Kelly joining more recently.
With more employment opportunities with Scanabull on the horizon, the team don’t have to look far for talent. “There are lots of smart people living here who can think outside the box,” Dan says.
