Grazing & Pasture Management is essential for sustainable livestock farming, optimizing forage use, soil health, and animal productivity through innovative practices like rotational grazing and automated systems. This article's Part 2 explores cutting-edge technologies, including gas emission controls, robotic milking, virtual fencing, and IoT monitoring, alongside key conferences and industry partnerships driving advancements. Discover how these solutions enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and support modern pasture strategies for healthier herds and profitable operations.

Grazing & Pasture Management: Interesting Technologies

Gas emission control

Patent:

FAUNUS - The ammonia sub-system according to the present invention comprises Ammonia detectors scattered along the site. Scattering points are chosen and marked on a 3D map of the site, prepared prior to the system's positioning. These detectors are either (a) Wired to the communication center or (b) Include RF transceiver. The detectors are activated separately, by zone groups or all at once. Measures collected are transmitted to the server, detector number and time of collection defined and added to each record. Ammonia level records are digitized and saved. Records are analyzed to detect a raise above predefined threshold level as well as changes indicating disease. The server may be connected to the house operative system and when Ammonia level is above threshold activate blowers to lower that level. This procedure will be limited to a predefined number of activations. After that, the user will be alerted. Different levels of alert will be activated upon predefined criteria of Ammonia level and change of that level along time.

Market Insight:

Shade-grown coffee, shade-grown cows are more productive and more sustainable than cows raised in open fields: the shade lowers the animals’ heat stress so they produce less methane, while the diversified vegetation improves their diet and productivity. Source

The awareness of the potential negative impact of livestock farming on both the environment and animal welfare is rising in Europe. This can be used as an ammonia emission reduction measure while impact on cows' wellbeing still have to be demonstrated. At the same time, the livestock farming sector is searching for more efficient production methods, which often leads to less pasture time per cow. This use case demonstrates an automated system that is able to track the position of the individual cow, to determine whether a cow is indoors or on pasture. Data on the time and location of cows will enable farmers to significantly decrease the time looking for cattle, to control ammonia emissions and label milk as coming from pastures.

Automated milking, wherein cow go to milk parlour automatically

DeLaval Holding AB - The invention is based on the recognition that it is possible to establish an efficient traffic flow of animals in an arrangement for automatic milking of animals on a voluntary basis using only positive enticements. This is achieved by the following measures:

• separate the feeding with concentrated food from the feeding with roughage into different areas, - maintain a consistent association between paying a visit to a milking area access gate and access to concentrated food, and
• use a consistent reward system for an animal attending the access gate by allowing the animals access to concentrated food, which may take place in a concentrate feeding area if the animal is not granted milking permission at the access gate or, alternatively, in a milking station if the animal is granted milking permission.

A further improvement of the animal traffic may be achieved by stimulating the animals to leave the concentrate feeding area and return to the roughage feeding area. This may be obtained by limiting or completely withholding the supply of water in the concentrate feeding area.

Market Insight:

Teagasc is working on grazing cows from the automatic milking trial. Automated milking – where robots milk cows without human help – saves farmers time; pasture-grazing saves money on feed. This is because in automated systems, it is the cows themselves that decide when to go to the milking unit, and it can be difficult to tempt them away from a field full of grass. Researchers at the EU-funded Autograssmilk project are developing and implementing a cow movement system that overcomes this problem, along with supporting tools – allowing farmers to combine pasture grazing with automated milking. The cow movement system encourages cows to go past the milking unit at regular times in the day. To manage grazing more efficiently in this system, a handheld device called the ‘GrassHopper’ measures the grass across the farm and allocates areas for grazing, while a virtual fence sets appropriate boundaries within fields.
It divides the farm into three sections around the automated milking unit, with farmers using the project’s GrassHopper tool to calculate where the cows should graze in each section. The tool measures the height of grass at a number of different places and determines an average for each field. It then uses this information – together with data from the farmer on the number of cows and the amount of grass to be given to each cow – to calculate areas for the cows and where the farmer should place fences so the cows can access enough grass to achieve milk production targets.
As the cows move from one section of pasture to another, attracted by fresh grass, they pass through the yard of the automated milking unit. The milking robots identify each cow from an electronic tag on her leg as she passes through the gate at entry to the yard. Automatic selection gates direct the cow towards the milking unit if she is due for milking and back to the pastures if she is not. This ensures efficient use of the robotic milking unit.
Regular, self-directed milking with access to pasture allows cows to behave and socialise more naturally, while the automated milking system monitors the quality of each cow’s milk and its health.
The GrassApp collects data on grass cover in real-time. Among other features, it also records the geo-location of each sample for later analysis via other software tools, such as Teagasc’s PastureBase and Agrinet.
The project’s virtual fence uses GPS and a base station that communicates with a collar on a cow to define invisible barriers, or virtual fences. The collar delivers an unpleasant but not painful stimulus to discourage a cow from leaving a defined area. Testing of the system is underway.

Rotational farming

Lanzhou University - The invention provides a grazing and managing method for livestock through mixed sowing of secale cereal and vicia sativa. The method comprises the following steps: (1) determining the quantity and the area of small rotational grazing areas and green hay harvesting areas; (2) sowing secale cereal at middle March, grazing livestock on one small rotational grazing area based on the divided small rotational grazing areas when the secale cereal grows to 20 cm, and transferring the livestock to a next small rotational grazing area when the height of the secale cereal at the current small rotational grazing area is 6 cm, and performing enclosed cultivation management on the small rotational grazing area on which grazing is finished to recover the grazing potential; and (3) after grazing is finished in July on the secale cereal area, multiple cropping of the vicia sativa is conducted, then harvesting all of the vicia sativa at appropriate time through cutting as green hays to feed sheep, and harvesting the secale cereal as green hays if the secale cereal is excessive and not required for grazing. According to the method, by combining the phenological period characteristics of the cereal and the leguminous grass and effective grazing management on a meadowland, supply of high-quality protein all the year round is balanced, weed growth is controlled and animal manure is reasonable managed and utilized.

Deyang Yuanye Agriculture Animal Husbandry - The invention discloses a planting method of pastures for dairy cows. The planting method comprises the following steps: selecting ryegrass and alfalfa seeds with full particle and without mothy phenomenon as pasture mixed seeds; seeding the pasture mixed seeds into a plot; planting sweet sorghums among line spacings of the pastures and forming natural pollination; obtaining first generation of hybrid pasture mixed seeds; seeding the first generation of hybrid pasture mixed seeds into a soft plot to obtain first generation of hybrid pastures; planting sweet sorghums among line spacings of the first generation of hybrid pastures, forming natural pollination and obtaining first generation of hybrid pasture mixed seeds; selecting the first generation of hybrid pasture mixed seeds with full particle as pasture seeds and seeding into a soft plot; fertilizing. The planting method disclosed by the invention has the benefits that the yield and the leaf quantity of the pastures planted can be improved during pasture planting, so that stems are crisper, and the palatability is good; meanwhile, the sweet sorghums for people to eat can be planted.

Henan University - The invention provides a mixed sowing improvement method of saliferous grassland. The method comprises the following steps that (1) the grassland is mechanically ploughed by 25 centimeters, and soil is raked to be flat and fine; (2) grass seeds of mixed forage are sowed, wherein the grass seeds of the mixed forage comprise leymus chinensis seeds, elymus dahuricus seeds, melilotus officinalis seedsand astragalus adsurgens seeds, and the seeds are sowed in the period between late May and the beginning of June. According to the method, not only can the vegetation coverage of the deteriorated grassland be quickly improved, but also the yield and quality of the forage grass can be improved, and the method has significant economic benefits.

Livestock health management system

Patents:

M G PARTNERS INC - an apparatus for measuring a biometric information of livestock and a health management system using the same. The health management system remotely collects the state information of livestock measured by the peroral apparatus for measuring the biometric information of livestock, which assigns identification numbers to livestock, analyzes the health condition of livestock by measuring not only the history of each livestock but also biometric information such as body temperature, rumination pressure, acidity, methane gas (CH_4), and protects the stomach by absorbing metal materials such as an iron piece included in feeds by a magnetic force from a magnet stored in the apparatus for measuring the biometric information of livestock.

Natural grass briquettes

Project:

GO-GRASS project is Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation by European Union, wherein the project will develop a set of small-scale bio-based solutions to unlock the overlooked potential of grassland across Europe and create new business opportunities for rural areas.

A circular business model and thereby contribute from nutrient recovery, to increased self-sufficiency of some raw materials and the reduction of energy consumption. In Sweden, reed canary grass is shredded and pressed into briquettes – an innovative material for animal bedding which afterwards can easily be used as fertilizer, as well as for biogas or heat production. Grass from the wetlands is converted into biochar, which can be used as fertilizer or to enhance the soils water holding capacity. A site in Denmark manages a small grass refinery for extracting protein from grass. The organic protein concentrate can be fed to pigs enriching their diet and to dairy cows increasing their milk production.

Robotic movable fencing

UNDERGROUND AGRICULTURE LLC - A robotically controlled system including a fence enclosure that can move and/or shape-shift itself autonomously and automatically without manual intervention. The system includes coils of electric fence wire that are spring-loaded or otherwise tensioned so that the length of electric fence wire between each post robot is able to contract or expand as the system of robots adapts to optimize the shape of the fence enclosure as the entire enclosure is moved by the robots around a field or other grazing pasture on an area of land.

Internet-of-Things

TIONESTA LLC - A system for monitoring livestock in a ranching environment. The system includes tag sensors attached to animals, and configured to collect monitoring data from the animals, a first access point, configured to receive the collected monitoring data from the tag sensors and to process the collected monitoring data, an Internet of Things (IoT) link established between each of the tag sensors and the access point, and an IoT communication protocol overlay that enables synchronized uplinks from the tag sensors to the first access point via the IoT links. The IoT communication protocol overlay governs transmissions of monitoring data by the tag sensors to the access point. The system further includes a hub/cloud platform configured to receive the processed monitoring data from the first access point, perform data analytics on the processed monitoring data, and provide a user interface that enables a user to monitor the livestock.

Grass management by moisture value

KUBOTA - A grass management system includes a first moisture-obtaining device to obtain a first moisture value of grass in a mowing operation performed by a mower, a position-detecting device to detect a mowing position of the mower, and a creation supporting circuit to support creation of an operation plan for a working machine based on the first moisture value and the mowing position, the working machine being configured to perform an operation relating to the grass already mowed. The grass management system includes a moisture map creating circuit to create a moisture map of an agricultural field based on the first moisture value and the mowing position.

Grazing & Pasture Management: Conferences/ Workshops

Pasture and Grazing Management Workshop is conducted in Oct-Nov, 2020 by Pennsylvania state university and sponsored by Republic Food Enterprise Center, Fayette County Community Action Agency and the PA Department of Agriculture. Source

Salient features of the workshop was:

• The workshop is focused on pasture and grazing management practices for sheep and goat producers.
• The workshop will help you address soil fertility, select pasture forage species, develop good grazing and pasture management skills, and keep your animals healthy throughout the grazing season.
• Species Selection to Match Soil Characteristics While Meeting Animal Nutritional Needs
• Financial Assistance for Pasture Systems Discussion

Location – USA

The webinar was organized in Oct 30, 2020 in cooperation with Nedap. Source

Salient features of the workshop was:

• The workshop is focused on pig farming including increased knowledge level of individual animals, which in turn can make a difference for better animal health, well-being and eventually food quality and transparency.
• ‘Shaping the future together with the entire pig production sector’.
• Automated weighing process and an automated collection of sow data, to realize optimal body condition of the gestating sow.
• Lactating sows, Electronic Sow Feeding, Automated feeding, giving control of diets for lactating sows.

Location – Netherland

17th Eurasian Grassland Conference (EGC) will take place in Tolosa, Spain in 2021. The conference is organized by the EDGG and the University of the Basque Country. 

Salient features of the workshop was:

• The conference aims to improve knowledge of the diversity and management of Palaearctic grasslands in face of global change.
• Classification of Palaearctic grasslands and other open habitats.

Key speakers - Polytechnic University of Madrid, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Inner Mongolia University-China.

Location – Spain

Workshop will be organized in December, 2020 by Lincoln University on Grazing in future multi-scapes: From thoughtscapes to landscapes, creating health from the ground up. 

Salient features of the workshop was:

• Workshop provides a great opportunity to present state-of-the-art, future thinking and practice in grazing and pastoralism to an international audience of scientists, academics, post-grad students and policy makers.

Location – New Zealand

Grazing & Pasture Management: Industrial Partnerships

In 2016, Afimilk, a dairy farm management solutions company, has acquired Silent Herdsman, a developer of a neck-collar monitoring system used to detect estrus and health problems in dairy cows. 

• Silent Herdsman is a patented, neck-mounted cow monitoring system, developed with Scottish Government support, that detects estrus and health problems based on cow activity, rumination and eating patterns. Data is transmitted wirelessly from the collar via a base station to a central computer on the farm that issues alerts for changes indicating estrus or illness. Alerts are also sent via the cloud to smart phones and tablets. Producers are able to spend less time directly observing the herd and more time breeding and treating cows automatically identified by the system.
• AfiAct II is a leg-mounted cow monitoring system developed by Afimilk that detects estrus and various disorders based on activity and resting behavior. Like Silent Herdsman, it issues alerts in real time to a local computer as well as smart phones and tablets. Most AfiAct II customers in the U.S. report pregnancy rates exceeding 25 percent.

In 2020, New Zealand-based cooperative Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Israeli agritech company Afimilk for around NZD108.7m ($69m). The investment will also help to drive future growth by opening LIC’s access to data on other farming methods beyond pastoral held by Afimilk. 

• Afimilk is involved in the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced systems for the management of dairy farms. The company mainly produces milk metres and behaviour sensors, as well as farm management software for its customers. With significant distribution activities in Europe and North America, Afimilk carries out operations in more than 50 countries across the world.

Fonterra, a major milk producer, is one of the shareholders of LIC. 

• In 2017, Fonterra & LIC released new online farm performance tool - Agrigate, designed specifically to help farmers improve their farm performance through the use of their existing data. In December 2019, New Zealand-based Fonterra acquired a stake of 13.6% in Prolesur, a Chile-based milk processor, from Fundación Isabel Aninat for NZD29.3m ($19.3m).

In 2020, Evonik invests in Chinese technology start-up SmartAHCto support more intelligent and healthier pig farming. 

• SmartAHC has developed monitoring devices and artificial intelligence software for smart pig farming
• SmartAHC, based in Chengdu and Shanghai, has developed monitoring devices and software that uses Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things to improve farm efficiency and animal welfare. Early detection of disease, for example, allows farmers to isolate sick animals and prevent widespread infection.
• Also, SmartAHC produces devices that identify individual pigs, track their location and measure their temperature and fertility. A computer-vision tool provides information on weight, herd numbers and allows early detection of illness. Further devices collect data on feed inventory and daily consumption as well as monitoring of the farm environment for humidity, temperature and ammonia.
• Based on the data collected and artificial intelligence algorithms, SmartAHC’s monitoring software platforms provide real-time information through dashboards, statistics and advice.
• Evonik has decades of experience with animal nutrition and produces essential amino acids that go into feed for pigs.

Explore Part 1 : Grazing & Pasture Management

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