Pasture measuring device a winner

The Feilding company, Farmworks Precision Farming Systems, has won the 2009 NZ Agritech Commercialised Innovation Award for its Feed Reader reports the Manawatu Standard. The Feed Reader is a computerised system mounted on the front of a quad bike, which measures pasture on farms, with optional GPS auto-paddock recognition. The Feilding company also makes a whole-farm computer system, which can cover fertiliser use, effluent and irrigation management as well as check pasture growth. Farmworks was up against heavyweights like Gallaghers, the Hamilton-based animal management systems company, and Donaghys. Farmworks chief executive Colin McFadzean  said the company provided a whole-farm solution. There are fewer people working on farms and more need for automated solutions, which fed the information straight to a farm's central computer, via a wireless data network, FarmNet, he said."There are more managers on farms, people in equity partnerships that need information, and staff that don't have the experience. Some have 25 staff, four herds of 600 cows each and have 120 paddocks."Using a pasture metre, which is mounted on a quad bike, even as someone brings the cows in for milking, they can get data for the paddock, and it will even tell them where the most pasture grows," Mr McFadzean said. Farmworks began development of its GPS optional package mapping 14 years ago, and has now done 4500 farms. Although it started life as a farm-mapping company, it now focuses on products and systems that deliver value or improve efficiency, while at the same time improving compliance. This was something more regional councils are demanding of farmers he said."Farms in Southland and Canterbury have to have effluent management systems, or they will not get resource consents," Mr McFadzean said. The company has exported its technology to countries such as Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay as well as Britain, Ireland and Denmark.