How Ornata works on your farm
No complex software. No new machinery. Just your equipment run autonomously when you call or schedule the job in
How it works, step by step
Installation
We fit your machine with the communications and autonomy hardware to enable our service, hidden away, with one-button on and off.
Surveying your land
We work with you to survey your fields. By recording boundaries, obstacles and managed traffic lanes, survey data enables planning of the exact route the operator will take while completing each job. This provides additional safety layers that ensure our remote operations have lower risk than operating from the cab.
Planning an operation
It's as easy as working with your best farm hand. Call us, or queue the job up in the app and your machine gets to work when you're ready.
Operating your equipment
Your machine runs the job autonomously. If plans change or something needs sorting, our team is there the moment you need them, as if they're in the cab. For jobs that require co-ordination with the operator, like a header calling a chaser bin or refilling a sprayer, the operator is available through the phone (or radio if required).
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Staying across it
Check the Ornata app anytime to watch the job live, review what's been done and see what's next.
Our operations include
Seeding
Consistent seed depth and placement, pass after pass, across the whole program.
Spot spraying
Weed-by-weed spraying including the windows at 12am, when you'd rather not be out there.
Blanket spraying
Full-coverage spraying to a planned route, with no gaps or double-ups. Boundaries, gates and no-go zones respected every pass.
Spreading
Urea, lime, gypsum and blends, spread to an even pass-to-pass width so you're not paying for overlap.
Ground prep
Ripping, discing, chisel ploughing, levelling, rolling and stubble work - whatever the paddock needs before the next crop. Set the pass pattern once, and every run follows it.
Chaser bin
Keeping the header moving through harvest, the chaser meets it, unloads, and comes back, coordinated with your operator by phone or radio.
Your questions answered
Do I need to buy new tractors or implements?
No. Ornata retrofits the machines you already own to make them compatible with our service. We integrate with existing systems so you can extend the working life of your fleet while avoiding the capital outlay of adopting special purpose automated machinery.
How much control do I have while a job is running?
As much as you want. You can call us any time, or open the Ornata app to watch the job live and what's queued next. Control is one tap away. Nothing happens in your paddock that you can't see or stop.
What happens if there is a hardware fault?
Our service includes an unlimited warranty on the retrofit hardware. If something goes wrong, our team can diagnose it remotely. The hardware is modular, so in most cases we send you the part and it plugs straight in.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Machines on our service connect to our remote operators with satellite internet. With this technology we experience >99.5% connection uptime for the machines on our service. In the rare instances a machine is not able to connect to our service, it will safely come to a stop and wait for the operator to reestablish their connection.
Can I still use the tractor from the cab after the retrofit is installed?
Yes! When our system is deactivated, it's isolated from the machine's controls, so it will function just like it always has. You can activate and deactivate our system with a turn of a key.
What about safety?
Before a machine moves, we survey your paddocks and record the boundaries, gates, headlands, trees, gullies and no-go zones. Every job is planned around them, and every pass follows that plan. Our operators monitor the machine in real time, and the job stops if anything looks wrong.
How do your operators know my paddocks?
They learn them before the first job. We survey the property with you, record boundaries, obstacles and traffic lanes, and build a record of your machines and implements. That knowledge builds season to season, the way it would with a good farm hand.
Has this been done on a farm like mine?
Yes. From family owned farms to large corporate operations, Ornata has saved many hours in broadacre farms, like Rob in Victoria's Mallee. He ran his Case Steiger and Seedhawk on our service through seeding: 1,500 hectares, 120 hours of driving he didn't have to do, and $8,400 off his labour bill.
How do I work with your operators?
It's as easy as working with your best farm hand. You describe the job over the phone, and our operators handle the rest. If plans change, they're only a call away. We can also integrate our system into your on farm UHF networks, so our operators work like one of your team.
Can your operators operate multiple machines at once?
Yes. With our software platform and real-time automation handling the routine work, an operator can safely run several machines at once. That's what keeps the cost per hour down, and it means every pass follows the same plan, hour after hour.
How is Ornata different from buying automation hardware or software?
Most autonomy asks you to buy a new machine or learn a new system. Ornata asks for neither. We fit autonomy to the tractors and implements you already own, and our operators run the job. There's no programming, no IT to manage, and no new operational risk for you to carry.
How secure is the system?
Security is built in at every level. All communications are encrypted, and access is tightly controlled. Operators follow strict authentication protocols, and your machine data is never shared without your permission.
Why a service instead of just selling equipment?
Because farming isn't just about machines, it's about decisions, logistics, planning, coordination and getting the details right. It's about people. Our service model means you get access to skilled operators when you need them, without hiring, training, or worrying about turnover.
Seeding, Victoria's Mallee
For this year's seeding at a property in Victoria's Mallee, Rob used Ornata to run his Case Steiger towing the Seedhawk. With the Steiger running autonomously, Rob focused on managing the logistics of the job, confident that machine operation was handled exactly to his requirements.
120 hrs
1,500 ha
$8,400
"The job was much quicker this year. It really changed how I run things. I was less stressed because I knew the machine would keep running all day if something else came up."
Anchorage, Victoria's Mallee