Australian owned, Australian made.
Optiweigh is the brainchild of Bill and Jacqui Mitchell. Alongside their children Sophie & Henry they run a grass fed backgrounding and fattening operation based in Northern NSW. Around 12 years ago Bill saw a prototype walk-over-weighing system being developed for sheep, the problem being how to make a system like that work in multiple mobs, multiple paddocks and with multiple water points.
The solution was in-paddock weighing. Bill set about testing various designs starting with full length platforms and using a lick block to entice cattle on. Bill soon discovered they would happily place two feet up on a platform but baulked at placing all four on.
The next step was to build a prototype that could reliably capture front feet weights of a single animal and read its NLIS tag. This allowed Bill to test the correlation to whole body weight. After many prototypes, and the development of an accurate and reliable algorithm, Bill was ready to test the system across a wider range of cattle enterprises. In early 2019 Bill was confident in the workings and accuracy of the system and the first production unit was launched.
Since the first prototypes the Optiweigh system has developed rapidly, our latest units deploying our own indicator, EID and satellite communication module. The Optiweigh is designed and built to withstand the harshest treatment and will happily weigh cattle out in the paddock 24/7, 365 days a year.
We now have over 400 units across Australia and units in New Zealand, Uraguay and Canada weighing over 400,000 cattle every month. Multiple research bodies have validated the Optiweigh front foot weighing system and have found it just as reliable as yard weighing.
Our office is located in Armidale NSW. Optiweigh units are fabricated in Guyra NSW and our electronic components are made in QLD. Optiweigh is proud to be a family owned business supporting jobs and manufacturing in regional Australia.
Call us on 1300 OPTIWEIGH / 1300 678 493