Grass Measuring

thetiredfarmer

Hi, from reading the Journal I think I should have a go at measuring my grass to allow me a bit more time and a lot less panic during this grazing year.Has anyone used the rising plate meter and what do you think of them?how much are they ?and are they worth it ??Is there something better,cheaperat the same job?

whelan1

are you in a discussion group , if not join one , thats where i learnt grass measuring , no need for the plate meter me thinks , but i am sure some one will disagree with me

dar31

teagase have a very simple a4 sheet that you fill in, and you enter in all your paddocks under 5/6 headings/stages of growth.
you will get 80% of the benifits for 20% of the work, its ideal for the first time at it.
plate meter has to many variations on the formulas for different times of the year. you could get a digital on from €400 up to €800+
i use quadrant and clippers or just eyeball.
half the battle is won just by walking each paddock once or twice a week, writing it down and planning ahead.

denis086

We went on a farm walk where they explained it and the farmer who hosted it and was supposed to be doing it said that he did it for the first while and then your able to estimate by simply walking around and looking at it. Which is what most lads would do in the first place. I can see it might be beneficial for a while to pick out persistantly under preforming fields but the simple matter is you either have the grass or you dont and its more down to management. A cousin did it for a while and they were able to tell me what sort of growth was taking place week to week. its really a just another job to do. But im sure it could be useful but it wouldnt be for us.

jeff greene

Grass budgeting is easy after a while, I estimate by eyeball, put the figures into the computer and then I have a plan, do I need more meal, take out paddocks for bales, etc. I wouldn’t consider it another job, just walk around the farm and sit at computer for a few minutes.
Teagasc will help you or this company has everything you need.
http://www.grasstec.ie/

sh1tstirrer

Jeff the link doesn't work.

John_F

http://www.gpsfarmmap.com/en/methods/diygpskit/#page=page-1

and

http://farmmap.ie/?gclid=CITz46yN36YCFUhO4QodHC6V0A

grass tec are meant to be abit pricey. ive no experience of any though

Cowmad

I measure grass with a quadrent and clippers and find it easy to do. I use agrinet to get my grass wedge and make my decisions based upon the results.