--- title: "New Zealand Farmers Are Using Drones to Herd Sheep" description: "Farmers in New Zealand have a new tool to herd sheep and cows, according to Radio New Zealand: drones outfitted with speakers so they can bark like dogs." date: "2019-03-08" modified: "2019-03-08" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-zealand-farmers-herding-sheep-drones" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "drones" - "Farming" - "sheep" - "the digest" --- # New Zealand Farmers Are Using Drones to Herd Sheep ![Farmers in New Zealand have a new tool to herd sheep and cows, according to Radio New Zealand: drones outfitted with speakers so they can bark like dogs.]() *\Image: TNZ/Victor Tangermann\* ## Sheep Drones Farmers in New Zealand have a new tool to herd sheep and cows, [according to *Radio New Zealand*](): drones outfitted with speakers that blast the sounds of dogs barking. "That’s the one thing I’ve noticed when you’re moving cows and calves that the old cows stand up to the dogs, but with the drones, they’ve never done that," shepherd Corey Lambeth told the station. A *Radio New Zealand* video shows Lambeth corralling cows and sheep using a drone with a harsh digital bark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTjVjKClpyU ## Dog Days Lambeth's employer, Ben Crossley, confirmed that his fourth-generation farm is indeed using drones to control sheep. One favored model: the DJI Mavic Enterprise, which is already outfitted to play sounds — such as barking — over a speaker. The Washington Post noted that farmers are already using drones around the world for a variety of farming tasks, \*including\* surveying crops. *The Washington Post* noted that farmers are [already using drones]() around the world for a variety of farming tasks, including surveying crops. Having the devices deal directly with animals is less common — but it could be a vision of the future of agriculture. ## Drone Pups Dogs, which were already used for herding in New Zealand, are learning to work alongside the drones, according to [another story]() by *Radio New Zealand*. "There's definitely going to be places for dogs always on farm," Lambeth told the station, but "the one downside of the Mavic \[drones\] or anything electronic is you still need to bring them in and charge them." **READ MORE:** [Barking drones used on farms instead of sheep dogs]() \[*Radio New Zealand*\] **More on drones:** *[Autonomous Drones Are Dropping Rat Poison Bombs on This Island]()* ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()