A young entrepreneur has set out to make farmer’s lives easier… using space tech.

Cairo Akehurst, the 17-year-old founder of startup Cattle Credit, is working on a tool that’ll inform farmers on their environmental footprint, and how to reduce it.

“We measure methane emissions from meat and dairy farms, and we aim to do that with satellites, " he said.

“We’ll use that data to help farmers understand their farm, and let them monitor their progress towards reducing emissions, so they can be more appealing to their markets overseas and the processes here in New Zealand.”

The foundations of Cattle Credit began a year ago at the Space for Planet Earth Challenge.

“We were looking into using space technology for climate change purposes.”

The MethaneSAT satellite, an America and New Zealand joint venture, was sent into orbit this March.

It's being used to collect data on the methane produced by industrial plants, but Akehurst wants to analyse that data through an agriculture lens.

“We’re trying to use that satellite in a different way, so we can appeal to a different sector.”

Akehurst took the idea after the programme and ran with it, talking with people in the rural sector to see what they want from an emissions tracking tool.

“We’ve talked to a fair few [farmers], we’ve more been speaking with the actual dairy processors.”

Product development is the next step in the equation for Cattle Credit, with small-scale systems on the horizon.

“They’ll be trialled on a few farms, to make sure the data actually works.

“From there we can start to develop it into a system farmers can use on their own.”

He’s talked to farms in Lincoln and Dunsandel, keeping it local, about the trials and aims to get a working system done and dusted by 2026.

“The current goal is to get data working, that’s the most pressing issue, and the way that it’s delivered comes second.

“Whether or not it's going to be an elegant solution, or just a case of supplying the data to where it needs to go, we’ll see.”

Akehurst was a finalist for the youth entrepreneur of the year award at the Global Entrepreneurship Network New Zealand this year for Cattle Credit.

“It was cool to get nominated.”

He spoke at the New Zealand aerospace summit this year, and is up for another award on Thursday.

He’s humble about his accolades, but said it’s proof that this tool will help those in the primary industries.

“Farmers are looking for this right now.”

By Anisha Satya