The hottest dairy innovations are heading your way at ADC 2027 Adelaide as part of the ADC Innovator Award sponsored by the Gardiner Foundation.
Congratulations to the five finalists that will present their ideas and innovations to the 2027 ADC delegation in February.
From sugarcane extracts and robotics to inflatable water troughs and herd intelligence platforms, these innovations are set to make a real impact.
A rigorous application and interview process has identified the ideas and innovations with the greatest potential and impact on the Australian dairy industry in the year ahead.
We look forward to hearing more as each finalist undertakes presentation training before being ready to impress at ADC 2027
2027 ADC Innovator Award finalists (alphabetical order)
Haseeb Ahmad – Calfmate, Forbes Dairy Partnership
Haseeb Ahmad is a dairy Herd Manager in Gloucester, NSW, and founder of Calfmate, a simple app helping farmers track calves, sale readiness and rearing costs. A qualified veterinarian, Haseeb previously managed 4,000 milking cows and a team of 32 at Baladna Food Industries in Qatar. His firsthand experience with calf management challenges inspired the development of Calfmate.
Paul Booth – Quick Trough
Paul Booth is co-founder of Quick Trough, a New Zealand venture developing portable inflatable water troughs for livestock. With expertise in design, prototyping and manufacturing, he and co-founder Mel are creating flexible water solutions for modern grazing systems. Their working prototype inflates and connects to a water supply in minutes, offering farmers greater flexibility as virtual fencing evolves.
Dale Creed – FieldSense Robotics
Dale Creed is Co-Founder and CEO of FieldSense Robotics, a Melbourne-based agtech company developing affordable, battery-electric autonomous farming platforms. With 25 years’ experience in dairy farming and horticulture, Dale combines practical agricultural knowledge with innovative technology to reduce costs, diesel dependency and labour demands. FieldSense is currently trialling its technology across four Western District dairy farms, aiming to improve efficiency and long-term farm sustainability.
Dr Matt Flavel – More milk and less methane by feeding an Australian sugarcane extract – Latrobe University / The Product Makers
Dr Matt Flavel is Chief Scientist at The Product Makers, leading innovation in bioactive ingredients for animal nutrition. He played a key role in developing Polygain, a patented sugarcane-derived polyphenol innovation for ruminants. His research focuses on improving feed efficiency, milk production and animal performance, while exploring methane reduction and sustainable livestock nutrition.
Dr Matt Makin – digitaldairy.ai herd intelligence platform
Dr Matt Makin is a veterinarian with 25 years’ experience in dairy and livestock health. Managing Director of Reach Veterinary & Advisory and former President of the Australian Veterinary Association, he has extensive leadership experience in veterinary services and animal health data. He is co-founder of DigitalDairy.ai, a secure AI-powered herd intelligence platform designed to turn farm data into practical decisions and improved productivity.