Advanced cattle feeding on pasture through innovative pasture management

Final report

Advanced cattle feeding on pasture through innovative pasture management

Call: ICT and Automation for a Greener Agriculture

Id: 14305

Acronym: i-LEED

Duration: 
Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Consortium:
No Partner Contact Country Total
1000€
Funded
1000€
Funder
1 Coord.Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft - Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Animal HusbandryZoltan GoborGermany304.4157.8Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
2TSCF Research Unit
IRSTEA
Christophe CariouFrance396.085.0French National Research Agency
3dsp-Agrosoft GmbHWerner FeuckerGermany172.1120.5Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
4CEO and CTO
Effidence
Cedric TESSIERFrance190.0131.5French National Research Agency
5Dept. of Agricultural Engineering & Technology
Faculty of Agriculture
Ege University
Arif Behiç TekinTurkey72.772.7Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Main results: 
Results in fields of agronomy, technology, methodology and social cognitions were achieved. Methods for canopy measurement, as well as detection of e.g. weeds, cowpats, using 2D laser scanner and NIR spectroscopy were developed and tested. Prototype consisting of a modified flail mulcher and a seeder was redesigned to an autonomous mobile platform including optimal trajectory planning. Improvements in project management based on Share Point were realized and tested. The interdisciplinary, international and intercultural cooperation gain good results, although the workability, effectiveness, sustainability, completion criteria and availability of sophisticated tools affect the final results. Farmers’ feedback was positive about the project findings and supportive to become early adopters.
Exploitation: 
Developed models and methods can be implemented into suitable interfaces. Further development, optimization and implementation can be carried out by e.g. SMEs. Based on the development stage achieved in the project further adaptions and testing will be pursued in the following activities. Milk and meat production entails conflicts of interest between ecology, economy and society. A robot with appropriate sensor technology and software was developed to optimize the pasture management, consequently encouraging the acceptance of grazing as an economically effective alternative. This has demonstrated how modern technologies can help to balance all of the above-mentioned issues, providing benefits for all without having to make any compromise.
Dissemination: 
Presentation of the project whitin the frame of the DLG-Feldtage 2016 in Mariaburghausen (Germany) (see Source: http://www.lfl.bayern.de/ilt/i-leed/en/060664/index.php) Official website of the project www.i-leed.eu Participation on scientific conferences, symposiums and specialized events: see: Press • EurAgEng newsletter winter 2015 (PDF) https://www.eurageng.eu/ • Agritechnica 2015 • http://www.ble.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Pressemitteilungen/Archiv2014/140512_Beginn_Weidesaison.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1 (or search on www.ble.de for i-LEED) • https://www.fisaonline.de/projekte-finden/details/?tx_fisaresearch_projects%5Bp_id%5D=7141&tx_fisaresearch_projects%5Bsearch%5D=basic&tx_fisaresearch_projects%5Baction%5D=projectDetails&tx_fisaresearch_projects%5Bcontroller%5D=Projects&cHash=73373779bc656617bce93eb6a478adbd (or search on www.fisaonline.de for i-LEED) • Grünlandforschung: Autonome Roboter und mehr Heu als Futtermittel http://www.oekolandbau.nrw.de/aktuelles/aktuelles_2013/quartal_4_2013/pm_ble_23okt13_gruenlandrobo.php Internet • http://www.irstea.fr/nos-editions/dossiers/agriculture-performante-et-durable/agriculture-robotique Events • Day of research in the Ministry of Agriculture http://www.stmelf.bayern.de/agrarpolitik/150171/index.php • DLG-Feldtage: Meeting point for crop production experts http://www.dlg-feldtage.de/en/home/ • Roboter "i-Leed" fürs Grünland https://www.topagrar.com/news/Technik-Techniknews-Roboter-i-Leed-fuers-Gruenland-3682849.html • Field Robot Demo http://www.fieldrobot.com/event/index.php/demo/ • Robotisation en agriculture : états des lieux et évolution (Robotics in agriculture: state of the art and development) organised by the French Academy of Agriculture http://academie-agriculture.fr/actualites/academie/seance/academie/robotisation-en-agriculture-etats-des-lieux-et-evolution?250117 • Seiferth, B., Thurner, S., Berducat, M., Cariou, C., Tessier, C., Tekin B., Harnisch, S., Imker, J., Feucker, W., Gobor, Z.: Automatisierte Weidepflege - Projekt i-LEED, Hannover, 11. bis 14.11.2014, presented on EuroTier 2014, DLG (Poster) • Seiferth, B., Gobor, Z., Thurner, S., Feucker, W., Sommer, C., Imker, J., Berducat, M., Cariou, C., Tessier, C., Tekin, B.: Automatisierte Weidepflege – Projekt „i-LEED“', Grub, 05.07.2015, presented on the open day of the LfL (Poster) • Seiferth, B., Thurner, S., Gobor, Z.: Automatisierte Weidepflege – Projekt „i-LEED“, Hannover, 08. bis 14.11.2015, presented on Agritechnica, DLG (Poster) • Seiferth, B.: Development of a system for selective pasture care by an autonomous mobile machine, Freising, 21.04.2015 presented on HEZagrar-Doktorandensymposium (Poster) • Seiferth, B., Gobor, Z., Thurner, S.: Automatisierte Weidepflege - Erste Ergebnisse aus dem EU-Verbundprojekt „i-LEED“, Mariaburghausen, 12. bis 14.06.2016, presented on DLG Feldtage 2016, DLG (Poster) • Seiferth, B., Gobor, Z., Thurner, S.: Automatisierte Weidepflege - Projekt "i-LEED" - (Teilprojekt ILT), Sulzberg, 07.07.2016, presented on LfL-Jahrestagung und 29. Allgäuer Grünlandtag, LfL, LFVZ Spitalhof (Poster) • Seiferth, B., Gobor, Z., Thurner, S.: Automatisierte Weidepflege und -erkundung - Ergebnisse aus dem EU-Verbundprojekt „i-LEED“, München, 01.12.2016, presented on the Day of research in the Ministry of Agriculture, BayStMELF (Poster) • Seiferth, B.: Innovative Weidewirtschaft – Weideroboter „i-LEED“, Hannover, 15. bis 18.11.2016, presented on EuroTier 2016, DLG (Poster) • Seiferth, B. Weideroboter "i-LEED" Presentation in the frame of FÜAK-Seminars Berglandwirtschaft aktuell (Nr. 2016-0137/01), Immenstadt, 14.07.2016
Illustrations: 
Approved: 
1
Proposal summary: 
The main goal is to optimise the feeding strategy for grazing cattle and to improve the methods of pasture management. The pasture robot control will be integrated into existing herd management software (HMS), providing an optimal feeding strategy as well as pasture maintenance. The robot will be redesigned by implementing sensors for detection of biomass, cowpats etc. and actuators (mulcher and seeder). The robot will collect data about the fresh biomass and carry out selective pasture care affecting the improvement of the biomass quality after grazing, autonomously. Based on the collected data an optimal feeding strategy through allocation of the herd to another part of the pasture (paddock), or by moving of the fences within one paddock can be secured.

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