A student in New Zealand is working on his master’s project, developing a better way for dairy farmers to track their pasture. By attaching GPS tracking devices to 3 cows in different herds, farmers could monitor where the cows are feeding. This data can compared with milk production numbers and used to determine which grazing paddocks result in the best milk production. “By applying production back to the paddock grazed, we can get a record of which paddock was the most productive,” explained Jamie Haultain, DairyNZ postgraduate student. “The analysis looks at pasture performance during the different seasons.”
Each GPS device cost $1,000 and the cows were monitored for one year. “We have got a really good response in terms of [the relationship between] paddocks grazed and how much milk production,” he said. “Not many farmers have that information. Most farmers have a big whiteboard in the diary or a note pad that can get lost. This way farmers have an automatic performance measure.”
The cost of the GPS technology can be justified in improved milk production and more efficient grass planting. “By not regularly measuring the paddocks they generally only have a limited idea of which paddocks do not produce well. The reality is that it is difficult to identify the best and worst paddocks without some form of measure. The key thing is they can work out if they are making the right decision about which paddock to regrass,” Haultain said.
“A good paddock can grow up to 100% more pasture than a poor paddock so what we are trying to do is show the farmers which paddocks are the best,” he added. “If they are not renovating the poorest paddock, they are not closing the gap [between the bottom and the top] and not getting maximum response to their grassing scheme.”
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Tracking Cattle With GPS Helps Farmers Monitor Pasture Performance
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