Partnership announce technology that enables farmers to measure grass from space

Aspia Space and Origin Digital have developed a new AI solution that uses ClearSky imagery to estimate grass height to within an accuracy of just 1.5cm from a vantage point of nearly 700 kilometres up in space. It is possible to map the grass height down to a resolution of 10 metres and see variations across a paddock, and also monitoring how it is changing over time.

GrassMax will launch in Ireland later this year, with Origin Digital and Aspia Space then planning to localise their remote measurement technology to more countries and climates around the world, as well as developing further products that unlock data insights to promote sustainable, profitable farming.

_{Text continues below picture}

Calculate quantity of grass

Duncan Robertson, Head of R&D at Origin Digital, said: “Grassland famers can remotely and automatically calculate the quantity of grass in their fields and paddocks, on a regular basis and at scale. This enables farmers to make better-informed decisions regarding grazing schedules, animal nutrition, and silage cuts for example, resulting in less waste and a more stable, sustainable food supply.”

Kieran Holden, Grassland Digital Specialist at Origin Enterprises, added: “The main benefit is in how farmers like me can use this data through the GrassMax app to increase grass utilisation on their farms. It’s remarkable to consider that grass utilisation alone accounts for 44% of the variation in net profit per hectare on dairy farms. In Ireland, each additional tonne of grass utilised per hectare translates to a € 256 increase in profit. Integrating this automated grass measurement data into GrassMax will give it even more power to help farmers optimise their grass use, with even a half tonne per hectare increase in utilisation equating to a € 10,000 increase in profitability on an 80 hectare farm.”

“GrassMax enables businesses to track live and forecasted grass yield, how many days animals are at grass in the fields, and a host of other metrics targeted at increasing fertility, yield, and efficiency to meet the growing demand for milk and dairy products sustainably”, according to Devlyn Hardwick, GrassMax Product Manager at Origin Digital.