Turning grass into cash with Grassometer monitor
Kernel Capital has invested €1m in Monford Ag Systems, a company that has developed a technology – Grassometer to help dairy farmers keep track of feedstocks.
The Grassometer is said to enable the accurate measurement of the height and density of grass, thereby facilitating improved pasture management and farm output.
The product uses ultrasound to measure grass as the farmer walks around a field with an ultrasonic sensor mounted to their boot.
The measurements are triggered by an accelerometer, mapped with GPS and sent to the farmer’s smartphone using Bluetooth, where an ‘app’ will do all the calculations for the farmer.
According to Kernel, EU milk quotas are to be abolished in 2015 and dairy farmers will be focused on maximising the return on their feed inputs, the most significant cost in the production of milk representing on average more than 50 per cent of costs.Measurement and proactive herd management is critical to ensure the optimal performance of the herd and to achieve high economic returns. Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, estimates that good grass management is worth approximately €120 per cow and can double the amount of grass grown per hectare.Jerrold C Manock is the lead designer of Monford’s technology, which is currently on trial with farmers on 20 farms in Ireland, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Monford will use the funds to bring the Grassometer to market by the fourth quarter of 2013.Co-investors include Glanbia, Enterprise Ireland and a syndicate of New Zealand-based investors.Monford Ag Systems Ltd is based in Newcastle Co Wicklow and Co Mayo.
