Open herdware

The soaring peaks and sprawling plains of Patagonia are breathtaking―and fragile. That’s why a rancher and a coder are using open source tools to make grazing there more sustainable.

dorn cox in greenhouse

Javiera de la Fuente

Founder, Al Sur del Sur Foundation

Javiera has helped ranchers in southern Chile use open source hardware and software to tend their flocks. The result is Olten, a smartphone app that collects data from small sensors carried by sheep in Estancia La Peninsula. With it, ranchers track lost animals and make sure they aren’t overgrazing in delicate areas.

See how Olten works

Ian McLean Kusanovic

Ian McLean Kusanovic

Manager and co-owner

Ian’s family has long owned Estancia La Peninsula, a 50,000-acre ranch that marks an important part of Chilean Patagonia. Accessible only by boat, it’s where the northern grasslands meet the southern fjords and icelands. Three-quarters of the ranch is a nature preserve. On the rest, Ian and his family care for 5,000 sheep and 600 cows.

Explore Estancia La Peninsula

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