GrassCheck 4 (D-51-10)
Project title: GrassCheck 4 – Improving grass utilisation under grazing by monitoring grass growth and through the development of a grass growth prediction model
Project team: A. Dale and C. Ferris (AFBI, Hillsborough), S. Laidlaw (AFBI, Crossnacreevy), I. McCluggage, M. Mulholland and D. Mackey (CAFRE, Greenmount Campus)
Duration: 21 months (April 2011 - December 2012)
Background to proposal:
During the last 10 years (1999-2002; 2004-2006; 2007-2009) GrassCheck has provided livestock farmers in Northern Ireland with grass growth and quality information. During this time GrassCheck has continued to develop. For example, the addition of the growth prediction element in 2004 provided farmers with an estimate of growth for up to two weeks ahead, while the geographical applicability of GrassCheck was greatly enhanced by the inclusion of measurements across a range of farm sites in 2007.
Measurement of grass growth and utilisation and herd performance to enable the development and implementation of decision support systems to optimise performance in different regions of Northern Ireland - D-28-06
Duration 5 years
Team and Leader A. Dale, S.Mayne, C. Ferris, (ARINI, Hillsborough), A. Hopps, I. McCluggage, M.Mulholland (CAFRE), D.Anderson (Agri Food Economics Division), B Horan, P. Dillon, L. Shalloo (Teagasc)
Organisations involved ARINI. Teagasc, CAFRE, AFED
Background and Summary
Economic pressures on milk production continue to intensify, and with large scale changes to the structure of many dairy farms inevitable following recent legislative changes, the Northern Ireland dairy industry is facing a challenging future. The diversity of milk production systems in Northern Ireland also make the adoption of a single ‘blue print’ for successful and profitable milk production inappropriate.