G’day ,

I've known Chris Morrow for a few years now. The former Kimberley station manager has spent much of his career working cattle across northern Australia and, like many station managers, he's turned his hand to just about everything along the way, from flying helicopters and driving road trains to campdrafting and, most importantly, being a husband and dad.

Today, based in Broome with his wife Bec and young daughter Georgina, Chris wears a few more hats. Alongside serving as a contractor to the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association (KPCA), he runs Data Drover, a business helping northern producers improve productivity through practical, data-driven solutions tailored to their operation. His wife Bec is a registered nurse who has dedicated much of her career to supporting remote Kimberley communities, making the couple a pretty handy team to have around northern Australia.

But Chris hasn't left the mustering behind.

Alongside the consulting side of the business, Data Drover operates a small mustering team currently working across the Pilbara. Seven of their planned sixteen musters have now been completed, with the hard working crew gathering cattle across De Grey, Mallina, Sherlock and Croydon stations. Despite some late-season rain creating challenges in parts of the region, the team has continued making solid progress.

One of the more traditional techniques being used this season is coacher mustering, where a small mob of quiet cattle, known as the 'coachers', is gradually built throughout the day as cattle are gathered by helicopter, horseback, motorbike and bull catcher. The incoming cattle naturally settle and follow the coachers, helping reduce stress, keep calves mothered-up and make the muster flow more smoothly.

While coacher mustering is a traditional style, today's producers can also use the information gathered in the yards to gain a better understanding of herd performance. Alongside drafting, pregnancy testing and animal health work, Data Drover uses reproductive scanning and data analysis to help producers make more informed decisions across their business.

I reckon it's a good example of how the cattle industry continues to evolve. 

VIEW IMAGES OF THE MUSTERING TEAM AT WORK

Hooroo for now,

Simon

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