Thank you for your interest in becoming a GrassCheckGB Pilot Farmer.

 

Background

Grassland agriculture underpins the ruminant livestock sectors in the United Kingdom. The potential for high levels of grass production and utilisation give British agriculture a key competitive advantage against many other livestock production regions across the globe. GrassCheckGB aims to highlight the value and potential of grassland on GB farms, and to assist GB farmers in making the most of this valuable resource. The project aims to assist farmers in improving both grass growth and utilisation by providing information on grass growth rates, grass quality and weather conditions from 50 locations across GB to assist farmers in making grassland management decisions and increase output from grass.

The project has had a successful 3 years, and we are now looking to continue the project from 2022-2024.

What we are looking for?

We are particularly seeking farmers with an active interest in grassland management. Farmers will be expected to measure their grazing platform on a weekly basis throughout the grazing season. Grass measurements will be fed into an online management platform (AgriNet) along with stock numbers, milk/meat sales and details of meal and silage fed.

Every fortnight each farm will submit grass samples for analysis. This will be done on a rotating basis with half the farms submitting samples one week and the other half submitting on the following week.

Each farm will be equipped with an automatic weather station which will record temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation and soil moisture. Information will be transmitted wirelessly from the monitoring equipment to an IP logger which will need to be plugged into the farm’s broadband router.

From time to time, farms will be featured in press and media activity. Pilot farmers will be encouraged to use social media to promote their involvement in the project and their experiences measuring and managing grass.

What you will get from participating in the project?

The monitor farms involved in the process will have:

Access to the following equipment:

• Automatic weather stations recording detailed data every 30 minutes
• Soil moisture and temperature probes
• Electronic Plate-meters
• Animal weighing platforms (beef/sheep farms only)
• AgriNet Grass annual subscription
• Fortnightly grass quality analysis
• Farm specific information on grassland productivity and utilisation
• Opportunity to get involved with on-farm research studies and to discuss grass management challenges with other GCGB farmers and researchers on a regular basis

Next Steps

If you wish to apply and show you are interested in GrassCheckGB, download an application form from the grasscheckgb.co.uk website and return via email to [email protected]

Deadline

Applications forms must arrive no later than midnight on Monday 17th January 2021