<p>A closer inspection, however, would reveal that these particular bovines are a bit more high-tech than normal. Behind one ear, each carries a device roughly the size of a matchbox - a tamper-proof, solar-powered, satellite-connected smart "tag" that is constantly transmitting real-time data back to the farmer. "It tells us where the animal is with GPS, and also what condition the animal is in," explains David Smith, the chief executive of Ceres Tag, the Brisbane-based firm behind the technology. "We have a very sophisticated algorithm for things like pasture feed intake, so we know what the feed efficiency of the animal is. From that, we can start making some genetic selections." These tags - which also monitor rumination, or re-chewing, levels, and other health and fitness factors - are just one way in which the latest technologies are finding their way into agriculture.</p>