For Andrea Brosnan from Offsider Ag, the Field Days aren’t just about making sales. They’re three full days of talking to farmers, hearing their challenges, and learning more about the market.
Q: Andrea, you took out one of Field Days Awards last year – what did you win for, what does it do, and why is it getting people talking?
We did Josh. We won for Tonto – our all-in-one, low-stress cattle handling unit. It’s fully human-powered, doesn’t need electricity or air, and is designed to be incredibly quiet. That matters, especially when you’re working with cattle that might not have seen a human before. The goal with Tonto is to create a safer, calmer experience for the handler and the animal – particularly in remote or low-resource environments. It’s built from the ground up, based on firsthand experience, and tailored for Australian conditions. And I think people resonate with that – it’s practical, effective, and designed by people who actually work livestock.
Q: So, what did it mean to you to be recognised at the Australian National Field Days last year?
The Australian National Field Days is our favourite event – hands down. We do 12 to 14 a year, and it’s the one we most look forward to. It was also the first Field Day we ever did back in 2017 with our very first product, so there’s a personal history there. But more than that, it’s one of the few places where we feel the emphasis is really on innovation and the contribution small businesses are making to agriculture. For us, being recognised at ANFD isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a validation that what we’re building has value, that it’s making an impact, and that we’re addressing the feedback we hear from farmers about what’s needed in the livestock handling space.
Q: Speaking of feedback from farmers, how do you use that to shape your products?
Customer feedback is the most important part of our development process. Australia is vast, with wildly different landscapes, livestock types, and operational setups. We can’t possibly anticipate every scenario – so when customers tell us something, we listen. And we believe them. Their experience is legitimate and often points to things we wouldn’t have seen ourselves.
That feedback gets folded directly into R&D. Sometimes it leads to a tweak or modification, other times a completely new product. We also regularly do one-off custom builds to solve very specific problems. But it all comes back to that interaction – someone sharing a pain point or an insight that sticks in our heads. That’s how progress happens in our world.
Q: So the Field Days are part of that process?
Definitely. The Field Days are our live research lab. Yes, they’re a sales opportunity, but they’re also logistics reconnaissance, a relationship builder, and a pulse-check on what producers are experiencing right now. We treat them as our shopfront – a space for people to see, touch, and interrogate our gear – but we also go into them with notebooks open.
The feedback we get there directly informs product decisions. And it’s not just from customers – we’re also speaking to suppliers and other manufacturers, many of whom are just as committed to building locally with high standards. There’s a shared sense of responsibility to the industry and to each other. We all want to see better tools in the hands of people who actually use them – and we want those tools to be ideated and built right here on Australian soil.
Q: Now I know your products are Aussie made. Is that a differentiator in the market? Does it really matter if it gets the job done?
It matters a lot. Yes, price is part of every decision, especially in tough seasons. But there’s a real understanding in the ag community that quality pays off. We’ve all heard the saying, “a poor man buys twice” – and it’s true. You can get something cheaper, but if it breaks, or it’s not designed for Australian conditions, or there’s no one to call when it goes wrong, what have you really saved?
Being able to say “this was made here” – and knowing every input, every supplier, every point of contact – that creates confidence. It’s not just about waving a flag. It’s about accountability and support. If something isn’t right, we know exactly who to call, and so does the customer. That kind of assurance is priceless in a rural setting.
Q: You mentioned earlier that feedback from visitors at the Australian National Field Days feeds into R&D for Offsider Ag? What does product development look like for the next few years?
We’re always developing. The benefit of working with someone like my other half, David – who is truly an inventor – is that the ideas never really stop. For example, a few years ago we built a small ruminant bulk handler because we saw the trend toward electronic tagging for goats and sheep. That change created a whole new operational bottleneck – so we built something to solve it.
Right now, he’s prototyping new sheep handling equipment, which is still under wraps, but looks very promising. Typically, we spend about six months a year at home, working our own stock, and that’s when most of the R&D inspiration happens. It’s very practical – you’re out there trying to drench or scan or draft something and suddenly go, “There’s got to be a better way.” Then we start sketching.
Q: And from first sketch to finished product – how long is that journey?
It’s typically a two-and-a-half to three-year process. Eighteen months to get a viable prototype, then at least a year of real-world testing. We won’t release something unless it’s passed that test – because we work with this gear ourselves. If it doesn’t solve the problem properly, it doesn’t go out the door.
Q: Three years – that’s a long time. Do you ever worry someone else will beat you to market?
Yes and no. Innovation in livestock equipment moves a bit slower than other spaces. When we released our new head bale in 2020, it was the first of its kind in 20 years. That tells you what the sector is like in terms of innovation in design and manufacturing. Part of that is cost. A big part. Part of it is industry inertia. And yes, when something works, it often gets copied. That’s really frustrating – not just legally or financially, but because it cheapens the effort that goes into the original idea. I’ve had many tequila fuelled conversations with our bank manager about the injustices of that – poor fella.
But what you can’t copy is the thinking. David’s mind is always five steps ahead, and that’s our edge. We’re not trying to be the only ones in the space – but we are committed to being the ones who keep pushing the industry forward. Just like you guys. We need more people thinking about events as the new marketplace for everything – sell products, get insights, build relationships, bend the ear of the odd polly – we can do it all at ANFD if we do it all together.
Q: Change of pace for this next question Andrea – farmers, what changes are you noticing there?
There’s a definite generational change happening. Where the head of the family might once have been 65 or 70, now we’re seeing decision-makers in their 30s and 40s. And they’re coming in with a different mindset – more analytical, more independent. They’re doing their own research. They’re not just accepting advice from a stock agent or auctioneer – sure they play a role, but that role is different. Farmers are now looking towards a committee of advice givers to get us through the next stage of the agriculture revolution.
It’s exciting, actually. Because that change is what drives innovation. When you have a new generation that’s willing to question what’s always been done, you start seeing meaningful progress.
Q: Speaking of progress – AI – it’s shaking up Ag Tech. What impact is it having on Ag Manufacturing?
Look, it’s a tool, and like any tool, it depends on how you use it. From my background in marketing and finance, I can say confidently that AI has huge potential to streamline admin, concept development, and even production planning. But it doesn’t replace knowledge. It doesn’t replace experience.
You can’t ask ChatGPT to design a better cattle crush and expect it to understand how a beast behaves when it’s stressed. You can’t automate empathy. But AI can free us up – it can write lists, create processes, help with drafting plans – so we can focus our energy on solving the complex stuff. You simply cannot replace a creative mind. And all farmers, whether they know it or not, are creative souls – always finding new solutions to old problems.
Q: Do you see AI becoming more integrated in Ag more broadly?
Absolutely. I think about things like drone surveillance, automated health checks, predictive weather monitoring – all of those are incredibly helpful. If you’re managing a cotton property, how nice would it be to check your paddocks from a beach somewhere? Or to scan your sheep and get an early warning about disease risk?
That’s where AI can shine – augmenting what humans do, not replacing it. And that’s how we think about it: it’s not the answer, but it’s a damn useful sidekick.
Q: Are we a sidekick? Are events like the Field Days part of your toolkit, beyond the sales side?
Absolutely, the Field Days mean everything. Out on the land, you don’t have casual contact like you do in the city or in an office. You don’t bump into colleagues at the lift or chat around the office kitchen. Events like ANFD fill that gap. They create interaction points – not just with customers, but with competitors, suppliers, and the wider community.
It’s not about making a quick sale. It’s about being seen, having conversations, swapping ideas. For rural and regional life – where church and the pub aren’t the centres they once were – the Field Days are where we gather. And when they’re done well, like ANFD, they’re where we grow.
Thanks to Andrea and the team for making time to share their story. Their honesty, clarity and commitment to Australian agriculture are appreciated. Andrea will definitely be at this year’s Field Days in October, come down and say hello (but be prepared to get interrogated on what problems you’re facing right now – and how they can help solve them). Alternatively, check out their gear here.
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