Let Omega Crop do the work
We’re always looking for ways to improve the lives of our farmers and with the Omega Crop app you’ll be able to measure your grass from the comfort of your farmhouse.
New satellite technology provides an accurate crop modelling solution which uses a wealth of data to predict current grass covers and forecast growth without farmers having to walk fields and measure by hand.
Omega Crop accurately predicts daily grass cover at field level using models generated from a combination of proprietary data, models and simulations, as well as weather and other satellite imagery. It provides uninterrupted daily grass cover predictions (kilos of dry matter (DM) per hectare) for each field, as well as rolling seven-day grass cover growth forecasts, allowing our farmers to optimise grazing rotations and minimise spend on supplementary feed. And it can see through clouds which is vital with the UK’s variable conditions.
Dairy farmer Gaynor Wellwood has started using the Omega Crop app on her dairy farm near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. She said: “The app looks great and is easy to use. Having easy access to all my fields via satellite imagery helps me to see how different sections of my fields are performing. “I’ve also found the grass cover predictions are very useful as they’re accurate enough to help me understand how much grass cover is on each of my fields each day.”
The Omega Crop app is exclusive to Mole Valley Farmers and the technology has undergone significant stress testing over the past two years. Currently, eight of our dairy farms are piloting the technology to cross-reference data with traditional field measurements. Results have so far revealed Omega Crop can accurately measure grass growth within just 50kg/DM/ha. Grass is the cheapest and healthiest livestock feed there is and with soaring input costs the app will help our farmers make the most of every blade of grass.
How does it work?
Omega Crop has developed proprietary crop models that understand how grass grows. Once a farmer has finished grazing a field, they just enter the residual and the app begins predicting.
Omega Crop co-founder, Jared Bainbridge, said: “The app doesn’t rely on imagery of the ground to update its field level predictions - our crop models understand how grass grows and we provide an uninterrupted daily service regardless of cloud cover.”
There is also a cost saving in labour. Mr Bainbridge added: “Farmers and their teams might be walking their fields one or two times a week, depending on the season. This amounts to hours and hours every week which is expensive over the course of 12 months.
Mr Bainbridge adds: “Our daily grass cover prediction service means our customers are never forced to walk their fields again as they will already know the average and total grass cover for each field and how fast it’s growing.
“We’re proud to be working with the incredible team at Mole Valley Farmers to offer a world-leading service to the dairy industry.”
Omega Crop is available on both desktop and iOS devices. A version for Android is being developed and is expected to be released later this year.
THE DATA:
• Profitability per acre: ROI = 13:1
• A recent study of Teagasc found every additional grazing saw an average DM increase by 1,386kg/ha
• Increasing grass utilisation by 1t DM/ha can increase net profit by £189/ha - or £77 an acre
• The potential overall return, from both labour cost savings (ROI 5:1) as well as optimising your grazing rotations (ROI 13:1), is up to 18:1
• Accurately measures grass growth within just 50kg/dm/ha
For more information contact the Grass & Forage Line on 01769 567232 or email [email protected]
