At ColdWater Flight™ we revolutionize herd management by providing efficient aerial monitoring for tasks like counting and health checks, reducing labor and costs, and improving safety, using tools like thermal imaging, GPS, and AI to track animals, spot sickness (e.g., heat stress, lethargy), survey pastures, find lost livestock, inspect infrastructure (fences, water troughs), and even gently move herds, making ranch operations more productive and sustainable. 

Thermal Location

Using thermal drones for livestock inspection offers early detection of illness (fever), locates hidden animals (newborns, lost), monitors herd health (heat stress, injury), deters predators, and improves overall farm management efficiency by providing aerial, real-time views day or night, saving labor and preventing losses. Farmers use thermal imaging to spot body heat anomalies, identify distressed animals, track movement, and even check building insulation in barns, replacing costly manual checks with automated surveillance. 

Fence Line Inspection

Using drones for farm fence inspections dramatically improves efficiency and safety, allowing farmers to quickly survey vast perimeters for damage, livestock escape points, or maintenance needs (like fallen trees) without navigating difficult terrain (mud, snow). Drones with high-definition cameras capture detailed imagery and video, even using thermal sensors for night checks, and modern systems enable autonomous flight paths for consistent monitoring, reducing manual labor and providing data for timely repairs, ensuring better security and resource management. 

Counting & Recognition

Drones revolutionize livestock counting by using automated flight paths and AI-powered software to capture aerial images, providing fast, accurate, and non-stressful headcounts for cattle and other livestock, saving significant time and labor compared to traditional methods, while also offering benefits like locating missing animals and monitoring herd health. 

Created by Farmers - For Farmers

Protecting farms is a top priority for cattle farmers, as it directly impacts productivity and overall success. Threats like theft, trespassing, and other security risks can cause significant losses to livestock, crops, and property. In today’s world of advanced technology, farm security drones have become a game-changer in modern farming. These drones provide farmers with powerful tools for surveillance, safety, and risk management by delivering real-time data and monitoring capabilities, ensuring better protection and peace of mind.

How we do Herd Management

  • Efficient Monitoring & Counting: Quickly cover large areas for accurate head counts, inventory, and tracking lost animals, saving significant time compared to traditional methods.
  • Health & Behavior Assessment: Thermal cameras detect heat stress or illness; AI can identify individual animals and monitor activity, weight, and heart rate, offering early alerts.
  • Pasture & Infrastructure Inspection: Spot overgrazing, erosion, weeds, broken fences, or non-working water troughs, enabling proactive maintenance.
  • Livestock Movement (Muster/Herding): Gently guide cattle using prop wash, though farmers note some animals get spooked, making observation a preferred use.
  • Security & Safety: Monitor for predators or trespassers and reduce risks associated with vehicles (like quad bikes) by replacing them with drones. 

Benefits

  • Reduced Labor & Costs: Automating tasks saves hours of manual work and can significantly lower operational expenses.
  • Improved Animal Welfare: Early detection of health issues and better resource management (water, pasture) improve overall well-being.
  • Enhanced Safety: Reduces the need for dangerous vehicle use in rough terrain. 

Technology & Features

  • Sensors: High-resolution, thermal, and zoom cameras.
  • AI & Software: For automated flight paths, data analysis, and facial/tag recognition.
  • GPS: For precise location tracking. 

Contact us, we'll bring donuts & coffee and take a flight over your property. You know your count, but we don't so first we count herd and gather our first pass at reading ear tags, and collecting facial recognition (no not all cows look alike), we check hay levels, verify access to water, Fly over hay and grain fields to do spectral photos of health and conditions, and before we land we will do a perimeter around your all your pastures to check fence lines for damage or in need of preventive maintenance.

"We can then decide if Herd Management can save you valuable time & money. If not, we'll leave what's left of the donuts."