What we learnt: Mobble’s First North American Ranch Tour
By Jock Lawrence, CEO & Co-Founder of Mobble
A few weeks back, Jack (our co-founder and Head of Operations and Technical Strategy) and I hit the ground running across Alberta. It was Mobble’s first proper North American ranch tour following our launch there earlier this year and safe to say it was a whirlwind!
Nine days. Two countries. Thousands of kilometres in the car. Field days, demo nights, live events, kitchen-table meetings - and a whole lot of learning from some incredibly welcoming ranchers and farmers along the way.
Why We Went
Simple: to listen and learn.
Mobble’s built by farmers, and as we start expanding into North America, we want to make sure what we’re building actually makes sense on-ranch for Canadian and U.S. cow-calf operations. That means meeting people in person, hearing what’s working, and where we can make life simpler.
What We Found
Turns out Canadians actually farm a lot like Aussies. There’s that same commitment to practicality, good land stewardship, and multi-generational family operations. The blend of mixed cropping and cow-calf was familiar too.
But we also found some key differences. Paper records are still the norm for a large number of ranchers. Less uptake of farm and livestock management software compared to Aus - which means there’s a big opportunity for us to help people move away from spreadsheets and notebooks when they’re ready.
The standout message we kept hearing?
Keep it simple. Make it useful. Build it for ranchers.
Music to our ears.
Highlights Along the Way
From walking through the Olds College Smart Farm to catching up with the Foothills Forage crew and visiting the legendary Waldron Ranch - the whole trip was packed with good conversations and better company. We ran a demo night out in Cadogan and met a lot of the local community at Provost, and spent time at Farmfair International chatting with ranchers who are curious about tech. We even met a few Aussies making waves in Canadian ranching, which made it feel a bit like home.
What We Learnt
Everywhere we went, one thing stood out: trust matters as much as tech.
Ranchers want to know who they’re dealing with, and they appreciate seeing a face, not just a logo or a website.
We also saw how much appetite there is among the younger generation and more progressive ranchers for modern, practical tools. The drive to improve communication between teams, family members, and business partners really resonated.
When we said Mobble was “built off farmer feedback,” people nodded. You could see it clicked.
What’s Next
This trip was just the start. We want to keep the ball rolling - support more trials, plan more events, focus on making sure Canadian ranchers have a local Mobbler face they can trust, and keep close with the ranches and advocates who welcomed us so generously.
Our North America strategy is simple:
Support key groups, build trust, and grow through community.
And I can’t wait to get us back over there. The people, the landscape - it all reminded me why we started Mobble in the first place: to make life easier for livestock producers, all over the world.
Thanks to everyone who shared their time, stories, and hospitality with us. We’re just getting started.
—
Jock Lawrence
Chief Mobbler & Co-Founder, Mobble