Tom Lahey: One system for the whole farm

Seventy kilometres north-east of Goondiwindi, Tom Lahey works on a third-generation family cattle operation spanning 5,900 hectares across two blocks. The business runs around 700 cows, operating primarily as a breeding enterprise targeting the F1 Wagyu market, with cattle taken through to feeders at a local feedlot. When the season allows, the family also trades backgrounders or takes on agistment.

It’s a true family operation. Tom works full-time on the farm alongside his parents, and is one of four siblings involved in the broader family business, making visibility, coordination and shared understanding across the operation especially important.

Life on the farm, planned with purpose

A typical day starts early. After some morning fitness and breakfast, Tom opens AgriWebb to plan out the day and week ahead, reviewing stock movements, paddock status and priorities before heading out.

From shifting mobs and checking stock, to fixing fences, running lick and tackling maintenance or capital projects, no two days look the same. But having a clear, shared plan has changed how the farm runs day-to-day.

“Before we joined AgriWebb in 2021, it was all back-of-an-envelope stuff,” Tom says. “A lot was in my head, a bit was written down, and it was all over the shop.”

One system for the whole farm

The Lahey family decided to adopt AgriWebb to bring livestock, paddocks, plans and records into one system, so everyone could see what was happening, where cattle were, and what the plan was.

Accurate record-keeping was also critical, particularly with a soil carbon project underway.

“AgriWebb does the recording for us, which gives us confidence that everything is up to date, especially for the carbon project,” Tom explains.

That confidence has flowed through into better decision-making and stronger communication across the family, including family members who aren’t on the farm every day.

“Anyone can log in and see what’s going on, which makes a big difference.”

Turning uncertainty into confidence

One of the biggest changes for Tom has been how he manages grazing. The AgriWebb farm map is something he uses every day, particularly to track days grazed and kilograms of dry matter in each paddock.

“When grass gets tight, it’s a lot less stressful,” he says. “You know what you’ve got, rather than taking a stab in the dark.”

That visibility has made it easier to budget feed, ration grass through non-growing seasons, and make informed calls instead of reactive ones, improving both peace of mind and productivity.

“It’s definitely given us more confidence. And that confidence flows straight into better decisions.”

Data that actually matters

Tom now pays close attention to rolling rainfall, days since grazed, kilograms of dry matter, and Stock days a Hectare  (SDH/100ml). These insights form the backbone of planning, benchmarking and continuous improvement.

The business has also recently started using Cibo Labs, adding another layer of insight and enabling clearer benchmarking for the future.

Building a connected future on-farm

Looking ahead, Tom sees technology like AgriWebb as essential infrastructure for bringing multiple data streams together without adding complexity.

“Having everything linked in one place is huge,” he says. “Water monitoring, Optiweigh, virtual fencing, we can see that’s where AgriWebb is heading and we’re excited to be able to use it across our business.”

With integrations like Cibo Labs and Farmbot now part of their setup, the Lahey family is building a clearer, more connected view of their operation, and setting themselves up to keep evolving.

A no-brainer for modern farming

For anyone considering AgriWebb, Tom’s advice is simple.

“It’s a no-brainer in this day and age,” he says. “We’re all going to have to become more accountable, monitoring more, collecting better data, and telling our story better.”

And like many family farms, the journey continues. Tom’s next goals include getting more of the family actively using AgriWebb, from having his mum confidently uploading mobs and extracting insights, to (eventually) getting his dad shifting mobs confidently on the app.

“It’s about setting the farm up for the future, and AgriWebb is a big part of that.”

If you are interested to see whether AgriWebb is a good fit for your operation, you can get in touch with our team by calling 02 8311 4675, or start your free trial today.