Use of ICT tools to capture grass data and optimize grazing management
Final report
Use of ICT tools to capture grass data and optimize grazing managementCall: ICT and Automation for a Greener Agriculture
Id: 14307
Acronym: ICTGRAZINGTOOLS
Duration:
Thursday, 11 May, 2017
Consortium:
| No | Partner | Contact | Country | Total 1000€ | Funded 1000€ | Funder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Coord. | TEAGASC - Agriculture and Food Development Authority | BERNADETTE OBRIEN | Ireland | 185.5 | 185.5 | TEAGASC - Agriculture and Food Development Authority |
| 2 | Hill&Mountain Research Centre Future Farming Systems Scottish Agricultural College | Christina Umstatter | United Kingdom | 18.4 | 0.0 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| 3 | Forcefield Active Technologies Ltd. | Patrick Halton | Ireland | 64.5 | 0.0 | None |
| 4 | Institut de l'Elevage | valérie BROCARD | France | 167.4 | 167.4 | French National Research Agency |
Main results:
A grass measurement system known as ‘Grasshopper’ has been developed. It incorporates a rising plate meter, an ultra-sonic sensor and a data analysis/management system that can also map land areas. The technology measures compressed grass height precisely and transfers that information with GPS coordinates to a SMART device. Herbage yield in the paddock is calculated and this data is then used to automatically define the appropriate area of the mapped paddock to be allocated to the cow herd. The data can also be uploaded automatically to the decision support tool PasturebaseIreland. A new form of virtual fence technology has also been developed and manufactured for testing within an intensive grazing situation.Protocols have been developed for training of cows to use the virtual fence.
Exploitation:
The commercial partner has commercialized the ICT tool ‘Grasshopper’. It is commercially available and used for grass measurement on up to 500 farms, mostly in Ireland, but also abroad. It has contributed significantly to the promotion of the decision support tool (DST) PastureBaseIreland’ (used for decision-making on grassland and grazing management) as it allows direct uploading of the data to this DST. Through its ease of use and automated elements, it has increased the number of farmers conducting grassland measurement at farm level. Also, a prototype virtual fence was developed and successfully implemented. This progressed information on virtual fencing for other researchers and indicated areas to focus on to develop this work further, e.g. the importance of animal training protocols.
Dissemination:
• Grasshopper Development - TrueNorth Technologies – Software Award winner in ‘Start-up Company Category’, presented by Enterprise Ireland at National Ploughing Championships 2015, in conjunction with the Irish Farmers’ Journal.
• Media - Interview on RTE Radio 1 (National Radio Ireland) on virtual fencing, CountryWide, 04.07.2015 (picture of virtual fence cow collar at end)
French, P., O’Brien, B.and Shalloo, L. 2015. Development and adoption of new technologies to increase the efficiency and sustainability of pasture-based systems. Animal Production Science, 55(7): 931-935.
French, P., O’Brien, B.and Shalloo, L. (2014). Precision technology for pasture management. In: Proceedings of the 5th Australasian Dairy Science Symposium, New Zealand. pp. 326-331.
Mcsweeney, D., Ferard, A., Werner, J., Leso, L., O'Brien, B. (2016). Preliminary study of cow activity in a pasture based automated milking system. Abstract no.: 22233. Presented at Precision Dairy Conference held in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, 21-23 June, 2016.
McSweeney, D., Delaby, L., Berry, D.P., Halton, P. Dillon, P., O’Brien, B. and Foley, C. (2016). Accuracy and precision of height measurement using micro-sonic sensor technology and digital data capture with a rising plate meter. Submitted to Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.
McSweeney D., Halton P., Umstatter C., and O’Brien B. (2016). Specification of a type of virtual fence and its training protocol and effect on cow behaviour. In preparation for submission to Biosystems Agriculture.
McSweeney, D., Foley, C., Halton P., and B. O’Brien (2015). Calibration of an automated grass measurement tool to enhance the precision of grass measurement in pasture based farming systems. In: Proceedings of Agricultural Research Forum, Tullamore, Ireland , 4-5-Mar-2015
McSweeney D., Foley. C., Halton P. and O’Brien B.(2015). Calibration of an automated grass measurement tool to enhance the precision of grass utilization and allocation in pasture based farming systems. In: Proceedings of the 18th Symposium of the European Grassland Federation. ‘Grassland and forages in high output dairy farming systems’. Grassland Science in Europe, The Netherlands, 15-17 June. Volume 20: 265-267.
McSweeney D., Foley C., Halton P., Umstatter C. and O’Brien B. 2015. Proof of concept for the feasibility of the “Virtual fence” technology for application in intensive grazing systems. In: Precision Livestock farming Milan, Italy. p 437-443.
McSweeney D., Foley C., Halton P., Umstatter C., and O’Brien B. (2014) Novel concept to allow automation of grazing management within a dairy farm system. In: International Conference of Agricultural Engineering, 6-10 July 2014, Zurich, Switzerland. www.eurageng.eu Ref CO379.
O’Brien, B. (2016). The Grasshopper to capture grass data and optimize grazing management. Irish Farm Business Dairying, 2(3): 58.
O’Brien, B. (2016). The use of ICT tools to capture grass data and optimize grazing management. ICT-Agri Era-Net Projects 2010-2015. Highlights of projects funded by the ICT-Agri Era-Net Projects (2009-2014). Page20.
O’Brien, B. and McSweeney, D. (2015). Grass measurement breakthrough. Today’s Farm, 26(5):6-8.
O’Brien, B. (2015). Technologies to enhance data precision for and automation of grazing management. Proceedings of Conference on Advances in Knowledge and Technologies for Agriculture. Held at Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore, Ireland. June 10, 2015.
Griffith, V., Geoghegan, A., O’Donovan, M., O’Brien B. and Shalloo, L. (2013). Pasture Base Ireland – National grassland database. In: Proceedings of 4th Australian and New Zealand Spatially Enabled Livestock Management Symposium, Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 26 – 27 September 2013. Pp 28-29.
O’Brien, B. (2016). New Technologies for Irish Dairy Farming. Presentation at Ludgate Conference. Held at Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland on 04 Nov, 2015.
O’Brien, B. and McSweeney, D. (2016). Strategies to optimize grazing management and get the most from grass – an Irish perspective. Presentation to agricultural advisory group at Agroscope, Switzerland, 12 May, 2016.
O’Brien, B. (2014). Robotics Business Review Series – Big Ag and Agribotics. Webcast https://event.webcasts.com/viewer/event.jsp?ei=1034586 Thursday May 29th 2014.
Umstätter, C. 2014. Streiflicht. Smart Fences – vom Nomadentum zum virtuellen Zaun. Smart Fences – from nomadic life to virtual fencing [German and English version published]. Landtechnik 69(6), 271.
Umstatter, C., McSweeney, D., Foley, C., Halton, P., Heitkaemper, K., Schick, M., O’Brien, B. 2015. Labour requirements of fencing in grazing systems and a potential technological solution. In: Guarino, M. and Berckmans, D. (eds.), Precision Livestock Farming `15. Milan, Italy, 84-92.
Umstätter, C., McSweeney, D., Foley, C., Halton, P., Heitkämper, K., Schick, M. und O’Brien, B. 2016. Können virtuelle Zäune Arbeitszeit einsparen? In: Böttinger, S., Zick, M., Wörner, E., Schempp, T. (eds.), VDI-MEG Kolloquium Landtechnik 41 – Arbeitswissenschaften. Hohenheim, Germany, 51-58.
• Findings of the research has been presented at 40 + farmer discussion groups, industry groups and visiting researchers.
• Several training programs in the use of GH have been run both nationally and internationally
Illustrations:
Approved:
1
Proposal summary:
Profitability on grass-based systems is driven by degree of grass utilization. This is influenced by increased growth and optimum management of that growth. Frequent measurement of grass parameters, e.g. herbage yield, height, density will facilitate increased herbage production and utilization. However, traditionally such measurement on farms is limited. The potential use of ICT for grass measurement is dramatic. This project will test the potential for linking herbage measurement with a spatial dimension, thus allowing precise allocation of feed using GPS technology to be accomplished through developed ICT tools, a smart phone and a grassland management Decision Support Tool (DST). Subsequent integration with 'virtual fence' technology will be evaluated experimentally.
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