Pasture meter wins innovation prize

The award was made in the agricultural and environmental category of the contest, run annually by Bayer New Zealand, Idealog magazine and Ideas Accelerator.

C-Dax says the pasture meter can lift the stock-carrying capacity of a dairy farm by 7%. On a farm of 126ha this gain would equate to $46,000 at a pay-out rate of $6.05 kg/MS, the company says. At least 1000 of the pasture meters are now used on farms.

"This award recognises the commercial success of the pasture meter and... the Massey team under Professor Ian Yule that developed the concept," says Greg Shearer, managing director of C-Dax.

The pasture meter accurately measures, tracks and records the amount of pasture on paddocks via GPS and data technology. "With this information the farmer can make flexible decisions about... pasture utilisation and more efficient nutrient application, and can identify feed surpluses for hay or silage," Shearer says. "Ultimately, it leads to higher farm productivity."

The pasture meter can be towed behind an ATV at up to 20km/h, making up to 200 measurements per second.

C-Dax spokesman Robert Murray, who as a Massey University student was involved in the meter's development, says nothing compares with it anywhere in the world. "We have sold units to Europe, Australia, the US and South Africa."

www.pasturemeter.co.nz