Livestock farming is one of the main economic activities in Brazil, where the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) estimates the herd to be more than 238 million head. As technology advances, solutions such as IaBoi have emerged that aim to ease growers’ routines.
As the name suggests, IaBoi uses artificial intelligence (AI) via WhatsApp without downloading a separate application. When a producer starts a conversation, speaks or types, AI records what is said or written, organizes it, and turns it into structured information, metrics, and data.
Key features of the solution include instant recording of events (cow births, deaths, purchases, sales, transfers, and weigh-ins), detailed history by animal, lot, and pasture, automatic integration of data for productivity metrics, and real-time reporting and alerts on your mobile phone.
Oberdan Ermita, a rancher and economist, is the creator of IaBoi. He explains that the solution uses a simple language that is close to the reality on the ground and does not require any technical knowledge from the user. AI not only compiles information, but also provides explanations to help make decisions.
“While large companies have had access to complex and expensive software, IaBoi was born with a focus on small and medium-sized producers. A key feature is that it works directly with WhatsApp, a tool that virtually all livestock farmers already have in their hands. This significantly reduces the learning barrier and avoids the need for training or computers. Management is as simple as sending a message, but with the power of AI behind it.” IaBoi The creator says:
Ermita says the solution came from her own rural experiences. He recorded the cow data on a simple computer, but his employees asked how much the equipment cost and what exactly was being done there.
Recognizing the complexity and effort involved in maintaining basic herd control, it became clear that management was inaccessible and impractical. In his view, this scene demonstrated the distance between the reality on the ground and the tools available. “So the idea was born to create a solution that was as easy as sending a message on WhatsApp and could organize records and turn them into intelligent information,” he reveals.
The livestock farmer stresses that AI will not replace the role of field experts. The aim is to have reliable data at hand for veterinarians, veterinary technicians and technicians, and to serve as a support for producers to collaborate and make safer decisions, Ermita explains.
Keynes Fernandes, co-founder and developer of IaBoi and expert in artificial intelligence applied to business, said: “By using real-time data, producers can make better decisions, reduce losses, improve efficiency and ensure traceability, which is increasingly demanded by the market. This will strengthen the sector’s competitiveness, including in exports.”
Ermita recalled that in September Brazil broke the record for beef sold abroad. According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce Services (MDIC) compiled by the Brazilian Meat Export Industry Association (Abiec), exports totaled 352,000 tons, an increase of 31.1% compared to the same month in 2024.
As for the future, the startup already has plans to perfect its technology. “The next step for IaBoi is to evolve along the same lines of simplicity, without relying on redundant equipment and running everything through WhatsApp. The platform will incorporate more advanced animal engineering metrics, tools to support nutrition management and supplementation, and analytics to help producers improve productivity in a practical way. The idea is clear: only with reliable data can we make definitive decisions, and IaBoi wants to ensure this without complicating field routines,” concludes Fernandes.
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