Tipperary agri-tech firm, Herdwatch has won a Champion Award as it launches the world’s first context-aware artificial intelligence (AI) farm assistant.

Herdwatch, which is headquartered in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, won the Champion Award this week at the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena at the 2025 National Ploughing Championships.

The award came after the agri-tech company unveiled Herdi, which it described as the world’s first context-aware AI farm assistant aimed at livestock farmers.

The award recognises Herdwatch as a leading Irish innovator in agriculture for 2025.

Herdi - short for “Herd Intelligence” - uses AI to provide instant, reliable answers to herd-specific and general farming questions directly through the Herdwatch app.

According to Herdwatch, Herdi takes data from farmer’s own herd records, location, breeding data, and compliance needs to provide tailored advice and calculations.

James Greevy, Herdwatch’s director of product, said the goal is to make complex farm data useful in real time.

He said: “Farmers are drowning in data spread across too many places. Herdi brings it together and gives one clear answer that can be acted on immediately.”

Agri-influencer Philip Stewart (Farmer Phil) described the product as a “game-changer”.

He explained: “I used to spend ages working out averages or hunting for information. Now I just ask Herdi and it’s done in seconds.”

Local farmer Andrew Darmody highlighted: “Finding one answer online could take 15 minutes. Herdi gives it to me in five seconds. That’s time back for farming.”

To address concerns about AI and privacy, Herdwatch director of technology Pat Bolger stressed that farm data remains fully secure.

He said: “Your data never leaves your account. Herdi doesn’t share it, store it, or learn from it. It’s private advice, for you alone.”

Herdi is now available within the Herdwatch app and will be demonstrated throughout the week at the National Ploughing Championships at Block 3, Row 5, Stand 119.

The company says Herdi represents the next step in using Irish innovation to make farming more efficient, sustainable, and competitive.