Angus Croser solves pest problems while still at university

"When we originally started up the stud, dad was baiting constantly, shooting constantly and you couldn't get the upper hand," he said.

Those life lessons battling foxes at the family farm in South Australia stuck with him, and it was when he travelled to Bond University at the Gold Coast last year that he decided to do something about it.

Now in his final year studying business, he's started his own company, Ag Safeguard, and built a poison bait-dispensing prototype, the Bait SafeGuard.

Mr Croser said the device was an effective and economical solution to safely regulate the use of poison baits like 1080 to control pest and feral species.

"There's nothing out there on the market like this," Mr Croser said.

"There are a few products for a similar purpose, yet they've priced them in the tens thousands of dollars.

"They're something that can't really be mass produced or they use a new type of poison or they're only targeting individual pest species."

Mr Croser's device keeps the bait protected in a weatherproof housing, solar-technology only allows access to targeted species, and it can be left out in harsh environments for 6-12 months at a time and be self-sustaining.

It also gives the farmer or other user maximum control through a mobile app, where they're able to check on the device and see how many baits are left.

Mr Croser said poison baiting was considered one of the most effective pest control methods, but it was under utilised due to the risk of harming working dogs and the time involved checking and laying new baits.

"It gives farmers that peace of mind and ability to run the baiting programs and bait 24/7, 365 days a year, while also giving them time to relax and not have to worry about foxes or dogs or cats impacting that yield and production."

The young entrepreneur currently has patents pending for the design in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

Mr Croser originally came up with the idea during a school project in year seven.

"I wasn't sure on an idea and essentially came up with this, and that's where I did the original research into the issues and created the original minimum viable product," he said.

"It always sat in the back of my mind throughout high school but I never really had the chance or time to work on it and also the expertise and skills to be able to go out there and continue working on it."

It wasn't until he started university last year that he received the mentoring and coaching he needed to start up a business.

Now, he's currently seeking out product designers, engineers, manufacturers and about $150,000 in grant funding to get a market-ready unit built.

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Ideally, he'd like to produce about 10 for pilot testing that he can take to farms and environmental groups that he's been in contact with that have expressed their willingness to test the product.

Mr Croser said the project was "looking really promising and had a lot of potential" and his parents were extremely proud of what he had accomplished.

"They're really, really supportive and really happy and obviously want to see me succeed," he said.

"Particularly dad, who was a lot of inspiration behind this and has nudged me in the right areas."